How Fools Fall In Love
by na-chan00
Summary: AU Modern Setting. Unemployed, unimpressed and idle Sakata Gintoki got by just fine until a depressing piece of his past decided to make an appearance.
1. Not All Ghosts Come Out of the TV

Disclaimer: Sorachi did the original thing.

NOTE ON THE TEXT: (*) means end of flashback.

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><p>How Fools Fall In Love<p>

Chapter 1: Not All Ghosts Come Out of the TV

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><p>It was close to four in the afternoon when a ring at the door interrupted Gintoki's Oi Mai Mi marathon. He was sprawled in front of the TV looking absolutely dejected. Issues of Jump were scattered on the floor and the tabletop was littered with snacks. Kagura's nonstop eating added to the cause by converting food into trash in mere seconds. All in all, it was a regular Sunday afternoon at the apartment except for Shinpachi's absence. The teenage boy who usually dropped by every day of the week had skipped the weekend to help out his sister at the dojo, after the guys from the kendo club had left the place in a miserable state the previous day. Gintoki suspected Kondo would see the last of his testicles pretty soon.<p>

"Gin-chaaaaan, the dooooor." Kagura drawled out annoyed.

"Kagura, the dooooor."

"I told you first!"

"I told you second!"

"I just came back from the toilet."

Gintoki rolled his eyes, sighed and grunted before relenting. He got up lazily and stretched, feeling a mile between himself and the front door.

"I hope Shinpachi doesn't bring his sister's food." he muttered in despair.

"Then you shut the door and don't let him in, you hear?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Gintoki was keen on Kagura's advice when he opened the door and his favorite neighbor stood there looking as graceful as ever. He spied a little head behind her with large glaring eyes, which meant neither him nor Gintoki were going to enjoy whatever was to ensue and Gintoki had a pretty good idea what it was going to be about.

"Gin-san good evening." Mistuba said with a friendly smile. Gintoki found it hard to express emotions with her brother's gaze boring holes in his forehead.

"Hello." he managed to utter.

"I came to ask you a favor."

Okita Mistuba was Gintoki's favorite neighbor for a lot of reasons. She was pretty, polite, discreet and often brought him leftovers for dinner. She also had an astounding resemblance to the weather girl whom Gintoki was quite partial to. Nevertheless, there was something which sullied Mitsuba's many qualities. His name was Okita Sougo, her darling little brother. He was around Shinpachi's age and had a tendency to pick on Kagura wherever and whenever until both of them drove Gintoki nuts. Sougo had calmed down a bit with age but he could still be provoking to an alarming degree, perhaps even a bit sadistic. Gintoki couldn't understand how someone so sick and twisted could be related to Okita Mitsuba. It made him wonder whether behind her gentle exterior was a cold ruthless sociopath. He shifted.

"I was wondering if you could look after Sou-chan while I go to the station pick up a friend." she asked warmly, grabbing Sougo by the elbow and pushing him forward.

"What's up Danna."

Gintoki eyed him suspiciously.

"Why don't you take him with you?"

"He doesn't want to go." she replied with an apologetic face.

"I want to enjoy what little time I have left before you bring that ass-"

Mitsuba took out a tiny pepper bottle from her sleeve and thrust it into her brother's mouth. Gintoki barely saw her arm move and Sougo instantly choked on it with watering eyes.

"Sou-chan what have I told you about language in front of the neighbors? What would Kondo-san think?" she said by way of scolding, not losing her smile. Her genuine concern was as fearsome as her spoiling the kid.

"He isn't very excited about coming. Please just watch him for me? I will be back in a jiffy."

"No. He's old enough to be on his own."

Gintoki's reply met silence. Mitsuba kept looking at him with an adoring pleading face which stated she wasn't leaving until he said yes. Gintoki wanted to dive into the nearest cliff when he heard himself complying.

"Sure, he can stay."

"Oh thank you so much! I am in your debt," she exclaimed happily "Sou-chan, bow your head," but Sougo just shrugged his shoulders, walked past Gintoki and kicked off his shoes "I'm so sorry, I know I shouldn't spoil him but he is a good kid."

"We'll survive."

Mitsuba giggled at Gintoki's remark and took off. He lingered a few seconds by the front door and prayed God to bestow upon him the same kind of repellent Mitsuba's acquaintance had; with Kagura and Sougo under one roof he was going to need it.

Fortunately, it was a day for miracles. The living room managed to remain intact by the time Mitsuba returned. However, the casualties were not what one could call minor. Minutes before her arrival Kagura and Sougo had broken into a fight and knocked down the TV, ruining Gintoki's magical girl marathon and probably damaging the screen beyond repair.

"OI OI OI OI! Is that the TV? Did you just kill my TV?!" Gintoki exclaimed, pointing to the abandoned thing on the floor "Kagura-chan, Sougo-kun," rather than bursting into a fit of senseless rage, Gintoki felt a void of depression swallow him whole "Mai-chan... my Mai-chan... what happened? Is she going to end up with the masked hero? What if he tricks her and steals her powers! No, Mai-chan..." thoughts about the unclear future of Mai-chan were soon replaced by thoughts of his TV's uncertain demise. He put it back in place and tried to turn it on to no avail. Pressing the remote buttons while chanting a mantra didn't seem to work either.

"Kagura-chan guess who is going to Gengai's tomorrow? I'll give you a tip! She has two dumb buns on her head." Gintoki muttered mostly to himself given the neglect the two loud quarreling idiots were giving him. It was no wonder Mitsuba's ring at the door came as a blessing. Gintoki ran towards it at once, grabbing Sougo's collar on the way and throwing him out into her arms.

"Here he is! Safe and sound!"

"Ooof!... thank you Gin-san." Mitsuba almost lost her balance grappling with the sudden weight, yet she was able to hold on to her brother without losing her step. Gintoki noticed how her grip on him remained quite fierce even after both of them had regained their footing. The mixture of anger and reluctance on Sougo's face was something surreal to behold. Gintoki knew the kid loathed anything that ever got in the way of him being with his sister, therefore his sudden lack of willingness to be with her was nothing short of disturbing. A chill ran up Gintoki's spine.

"That must be some hell of a guest." he observed.

Mitsuba had to take Sougo's hand and drag him behind her before he finally yielded.

"They're both just shy of each other." she laughed.

Gintoki couldn't be sure, but something told him he was going to see both siblings again very soon.

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><p>"Yooo! Ka-gu-ra-chaaaan wake uup!" Gintoki opened the closet door with a terrible sing-song voice and mischief written all over his face. Kagura rubbed her eyes still half-asleep and when she looked at him the first thing she did was dispatch a fist to his chest. Gintoki fell back with a gasp, his breath all but leaving him.<p>

"Oi are you trying to kill me?! That hurt like hell!"

"Oh it's Gin-chan... I thought it was Orochimaru."

"Wrong! That's downstairs!"

At that moment a thumping sound came from beneath their feet. It didn't bother Gintoki and Kagura very much. Otose beating the ceiling with her broom to shut them up was something of a daily occurrence.

"You woke her up." Kagura deadpanned.

"She wakes up with the sun, stupid!" Gintoki whispered in a fury "Anyway, go wash up and eat your rice. There's a TV waiting to be repaired and you're the one taking responsibility."

"Eeeeehhhh!?" the rebuff was immediate but Gintoki was deaf to her pleas.

"Yes and you're taking out the giant dog as well."

"Sadaharu too?"

Sadaharu barked at the mention of his name and came scampering towards Kagura who received him with open arms.

"You can ask for Shinpachi's help if you want, as long as that TV gets to Gengai today. I want it back in time for my drama tonight," Gintoki told her "Next time don't break things if you want to sleep until late."

"It's Gin-chan's fault for letting that creep stay in..." Kagura mumbled into Sadaharu's fur. She hugged the massive dog tightly and murmured a few more complaints and curses until Shinpachi arrived.

"Good morning everyone, how was your-" Shinpachi's greeting was interrupted by Kagura's desperate whining. She clung to his arm and tried to fake a few tears.

"Shinpachiiii! Shinpachi you have to help me! Gin-chan made a deal with the demon and now I have to take the TV to Gengai all by myself," she cried "and I have to walk Sadaharu too! Pleeaaase."

Shinpachi glanced confused towards Gintoki but the latter ignored him, resolute in taking no pity on the culprit. He took out an uncommonly big booger out of his nose and hurled it at the poor broken television set.

"You PIG!" Kagura shouted, detaching herself from Shinpachi to go kick Gintoki in the groin. Luckily the latter managed to dodge her foot in time and sent her flying to the sofa instead.

"You two stop bickering so I can make some breakfast! We're gonna be late!" Shinpachi exclaimed, slapping the two idiots on the head.

It was inevitable. Shinpachi and Kagura were too late for school by the time they took off. They ran out the door in a hurry and considering the loud noises in the hallway, so did Sougo. Gintoki heard them fighting all the way down to the street, as well as Otose and Catherine's shrieks over the rumpus. Gintoki quickly shut the front door and locked himself in the bathroom, knowing it was only a matter of time before the two women decided it was time for a trip upstairs. The savage knocks on his door proved it.

"OI Sa-ka-taa open the door!"

"I know you're in there Gintoki, don't make me waste my time, I have a store to run." Otose chided angrily.

"I'm taking a dump, sorry!"

"I'll take a dump on you next time I see you, loser!"

"Calm down Catherine, I'll take care of this," Otose declared "Gintoki, you listen to me, I've told those kids a hundred times not to run down the stairs. This apartment building is already as old as it is and with shitty tenants like you two," she glanced at Catherine as well "who don't even understand the concept of regular payment, I can't afford to spend money on maintenance which careful and _normal _behavior should be enough to avoid!" she paused and took a deep breath "Besides, you can't trust carpenters these days, they're all leeches! And don't get me started on those bastards your friend Sakamoto sent me the last time. If I see him around again I promise you I'll shove the bill up his rear and..."

Otose's rant trailed a while before she returned to her original point and yelled a few more obscenities at Gintoki's overall useless existence. Catherine spit onto his front door like the animal she was and later on, when Gintoki was certain the coast was clear, he finally left the bathroom. He would have enjoyed his much needed sigh of relief if there had been no TV to repair and no Sadaharu looking like he was holding in his biggest turd yet.

"Shit."

Walking Sadaharu was actually pretty easy. Gintoki took a shovel to bury the deed and sooner than later was back home staring at the stupid TV. He was starting to nurture a deep hatred towards the thing and he knew it was wrong. It was one of his most treasured possessions, the only means by which he could watch Ketsuno Ana and be temporarily happy at heart. Fate was right in punishing him. He understood it now. Entrusting the TV to Kagura had been a mistake. Only more disaster would have befallen the TV if she had taken it to Gengai. Gintoki was sure of it. Hence in a fit of valor and fortitude, he took the damn thing in his arms, walked out of the apartment and made straight for the old man's shop. He was going to watch his drama tonight. He was going to man up and work it out.

Or maybe not.

The second he stepped out of the apartment a ghost appeared in front of him sending all his bravery to shit. Strength seeped from his muscles and the TV fell to the floor with a shattering sound. Gintoki's heart had stopped so brusquely he didn't know if he was breathing, least of all hearing. The vision in question was dark, tall and hypnotizing, leaning over the railing with a cigarette in his mouth. Gintoki froze. This couldn't be happening. Nope. Not again. He slapped himself mentally and picked up the TV with trembling hands, leaving the apartment building without bothering to look back at the figure again. He was so shocked that the immensity of what had just happened only hit him three blocks down by the bookstore.

"What in the actual fuck." he turned around and squinted his eyes to see if there was someone in the second floor hallway. It was deserted without even a trail of smoke.

"Hello there Gin-san, back already for more comics? I tell you young man, you should start living the life of a respectable adult, people have been talking ever since you got that little girl-"

"Old man," Gintoki interrupted the owner of the bookstore with a grim expression on his face "How do I look? Do I look like I am going insane?"

"Well, now that you mention it, you do look a bit pale, maybe it's the hair?"

Gintoki scoffed.

"Oi seriously, tell me the truth, you think I need to start going to those therapy sessions?" Gintoki wondered. His heart roared inside his chest and some kind of yearning pulled at its strings. Perhaps the time had come to put those psychiatrists' business cards to use.

"What's the matter, you seen a ghost or what?"

"Something like that." Gintoki replied apprehensively. He was still staring at the building hoping some explanation would rain down on him "Have you ever seen a ghost, old man?"

"Sure thing," he retorted with a chuckle "My old lady keeps nagging me from the grave"

Gintoki's face contorted into a disgruntled frown and he sent the old man an affronted look, as if he had heard the most offensive joke in the history of the universe.

"Save me the new Jojojo volume, I will be back for it later." Gintoki told him, adjusting his grip on the TV.

"Sure thing. Do you want my old lawn cart for that thing? I have it backstairs."

With the TV on the wheelbarrow the journey to Gengai's was over in the blink of an eye. Gintoki had never felt so thankful, since all he wanted to do was return home and scrutinize every bit of that hallway to make sure he still had his sanity. He couldn't remember how many years it had been since he had last seen that face. He couldn't even bear to think about what seeing that face used to unleash in him. It was just painful and ridiculous and Gintoki had closed, buried and burned that chapter of his life long long ago. He was so done with the whole ordeal he couldn't understand why he was deluding about it. Moreover, he had no recollection of drinking last night. He was sober clean.

"Your scooter ain't ready yet, what is it this time?"

Gengai's industrial goggles snapped Gintoki out of his trance and he presented his problem in precise short words.

"TV broken. Need it for tonight."

Gengai didn't bother to protest. He just laughed aloud, almost smacking himself in the head with his wrench.

"Come on Gintoki, look at that crap. If you want to watch TV tonight you're gonna have to buy a new one. I don't even know how you still have this rubbish running."

Gintoki pretended he wasn't listening and shrugged.

"Can you fix it or not?"

"I'll see what I can do but I don't promise nothin'."

"That's fine by me. Just don't tamper with it and send me back a mutant version. I heard some funny stories going around," Gintoki pointed out sorely, backtracking to the myriads of people he had heard complaining about Gengai's repairs "your luck is that you're cheap." he added halfheartedly.

"And yours is that you're an idiot." a low voice spoke behind him. Standing in front of Gengai's garage was a slender looking blond woman with a pipe between her fingers. A perfect example that a relationship can and will flourish out of accidental groping. Gintoki tried hard not to roll his eyes. For some reason she was the last person on his mind at the moment.

"They don't fix Bitch pipes over here, you have to send it back to the seller." Gintoki noted casually.

The random remark pricked one of the many nerves Tsukuyo had been enduring for the past couple of weeks. She hadn't really been expecting an apology right away. She knew Gintoki well enough to foresee that, nevertheless his total indifference pissed her off. He had clearly forgotten all about her and wasn't even trying to fake the tiniest speck of remorse. Tsukuyo took a long drag on her pipe before a torrent of rage spewed out.

"You here to fix your watch? Or maybe your phone?" she suggested bitterly, masking her scowl with with a turn of her lips.

"Nope, just the TV. Kagura and the devil spawn broke it yesterday."

"Oh really?"

Gintoki's plain reply had struck her last nerve. As such, his total neglect was unable to save his head from being bashed violently against the hood of the nearest car.

"Don't you dare stand me up again, you piece of shit!" she clicked her tongue in disgust and walked away fuming. Gintoki barely had time to collect his thoughts.

Gengai approached him cautiously and appraised the new dent on his car.

"At least she won't bill you Gintoki."

The walk home was more painful than predicted. Tsukuyo's blow had shaken the list of priorities on Gintoki's brain and produced a substantial amount of cursing Gintoki didn't know he was capable of. The fact it had taken him a dose of brutality to remember he had forgotten about their date was too depressing to live with and now he had to carry that shame as well as the aching bump on his forehead for the rest of the week. His whole figure screamed pathetic scum.

"Pathetic scum, where were you?!" Otae didn't waste any time with greetings. She was waiting for him in front of his apartment building, arms crossed and right foot patting the ground impatiently. She was obviously holding herself back from wrestling his neck "Didn't I tell you yesterday you had to pick up Kagura-chan today? Shin-chan has exams coming up and he can't continue languishing his entire evenings here with you, doing _your_ chores. He has to study! And you're letting a middle school girl walk home all by herself?!"

"She can take out your dojo idiots. The burglars too."

"Shut up and go get her! I have to go back to the club," She hissed, taking out her cellphone and dialing her friend "Yes yes, I'm leaving right now..." she glanced back to urge Gintoki on and he did as he was told.

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><p>After wondering countless times if he was ever going to reach home that day, Gintoki stepped over his beloved threshold and took off his shoes. Kagura followed after him, throwing her backpack into the air triumphantly and committing her butt to the sofa in a manner most identical to that of her guardian. The sight was close to endearing. Nonetheless, Gintoki's vexation wasn't done for the day. The minute after he had sat down and indulged in the comfort of his cushion, Kagura began her tirade on the obvious.<p>

"There's no TV!"

"Is that so? I wonder what happened to it." Gintoki replied with sarcasm.

"You took it to the old man?"

"Yeah."

"When is it coming back?"

"I don't know, when it grows two legs probably."

"Gin-chaaan! What are we supposed to do then?" Kagura whined.

"You can start by doing your homework, Gin-san is going to take a nap."

"I'll take a nap too!"

Gintoki was too tired to argue. He nodded his head and made a mental note to later lock Kagura outside until she was willing to do her homework. If that option failed he would threaten to ship her over to Mitsuba's. That always worked like a charm.

Mitsuba's.

His half-shut eyes bulged out the second he remembered the spooky vision by her door that morning. He had all but forgotten it. His heart started racing again and he felt his palms sweating. Kagura was already snoring by his side and he looked at her with pure jealousy cursing through his veins. How he wished to be sound asleep. He couldn't ask for anything better. In his sleep there were no screw ups with Tsukuyo, no Otae lashing out at him, no Otose after his money and no creepy run-of-the-mill ghosts. No, no, there certainly weren't. Nope. Not one. Noooope. Gintoki shut his eyes to stop any memories from swarming up. He didn't need this kind of bullshit right now.

Another ring at the door almost made him puke out his heart. He started so violently he almost struck Kagura's nose. She flinched at his movement but the tumult wasn't enough to wake her. She slept like a rock. Gintoki was forced to go get the door. He dragged his feet hesitantly down the room and repressed a bout of despair. At least the lack of hysterics on the other side consoled him to some extent. He assumed it would be Mitsuba with leftovers and he was right.

"Good evening Gin-san, I brought you some curry leftovers as thanks for yesterday. I hope you'll like it." she said with the biggest smile.

Gintoki thanked her and was about to close the door when a third person showed up from inside Mitsuba's apartment.

"Oi Mitsuba did you see my lighter?"

Gintoki had to fight the spasm spreading throughout his organs. Mitsuba's cute bag of leftovers would have fallen to the ground if the seizure taking over him hadn't tightened his grip to a bone-crushing degree.

"Ah, Toshiro-san come over here, let me introduce you."

Mitsuba's guest was as unresponsive as her neighbor and that lead to some kind of paralympic staring competition between the two men. Gintoki for his part couldn't feel his body move at all. Mitsuba turned from one disgruntled face to another, slowly but steadily piecing their reactions together.

"Oh you know each other?" she wondered innocently, eyes shining with delight.

"No."

"Yes."

"I said no!" Gintoki repeated a bit panicked.

"I'm not lying!" the other man said just as passionately.

"Oh that's fresh coming from you!" Gintoki sneered.

"Look who's talking!"

"Are you brothers?" Mitsuba speculated, puzzled by their incredible similarity.

"What!? No way!"

"That's disgusting!"

"I think I'm gonna throw up."

"Not here you ain't!"

"Shut up, did someone ask for you opinion?!"

"No, but I think someone is asking for a punch to the face?!"

"I wonder who?!"

"Who indeed!"

The distance between the two men dwindled to mere inches. Like machines put back in motion, their response to each other was automatic. Gintoki gripped Hijikata's shirt collar with his free hand and the latter mimicked him, exposing Gintoki's collarbone to the cold night air.

"Toshiro-san please." Mitsuba reached for Hijikata's arm and he pulled back immediately, straightening up his shirt.

"I think I left it in the counter." Hijikata muttered, retreating back into her apartment to get his lighter.

"I'm so sorry Gin-san. It seems all I do lately is apologize to you," Mitsuba lamented "He is a friend from my hometown, but it appears you know him as well?" there was a sorrowful tone in her voice brought on by the hostility she had just witnessed. Part of Gintoki felt obliged to provide her with a plausible explanation, but knowing he would have to give her an account of all that had happened between them, he quickly put an end to the story.

Gintoki tousled his hair to shake off the fluster and answered with the barest of truths.

"We were roommates."

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><p>AN: I hope you'll forgive me for this one. I'm just taking advantage of my current writing spree to type this down. I've been dying to write a GinHiji AU for so long that I've lost count of the times I started a chapter. There's gonna be lots of flashbacks and probably Hijikata's POV at some point. I'm still putting it all together but please do enjoy it if you can.<p> 


	2. Where There's Smoke There's Fire

Disclaimer: Sorachi owns Gintama's ass

NOTE ON THE TEXT: (*) means end of flashback.

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><p>How Fools Fall In Love<p>

Chapter 2: Where There's Smoke There's Fire

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><p>Mitsuba returned to her apartment to find a thoughtful Hijikata sat listless in her sofa. His usual bright blue eyes were cloudy and fixated on a spot above the TV in deep meditation. He had a cigarette in his mouth but it was unlit. She called him a few times but only met a kind of unresponsiveness not wont in him. Hijikata was always excessively attentive and eager to please her whenever he could. It was wondrous to see him upset for a change but at the same time preoccupying. Mitsuba could not hide a smile of amusement, yet she began to feel responsible for the abrupt quarrel between the two men. When she finally got through to Hijikata, his shoulders jerked and he turned to her as if he had taken a blow.<p>

"Toshiro-san, I've already called you four times, is everything alright?" she asked worried "I've been apologizing to Gin-san in your stead. He has been so kind to me, I felt it was my duty to introduce you, but I had no idea you two knew each other. You never told me." her feelings of distress were too weak to last against Hijikata and they quickly gave way to a curiosity which Gintoki had barely quenched.

"I'm sorry about that." Hijikata replied somberly. He got up and walked towards her.

"Gin-san told me you two were roommates once. Did you not part friends?" Mitsuba asked him. Hijikata walked past her in the direction of the front door with a look of annoyance on his face.

"We were never really friends," he muttered as he put on his shoes "We just kind of tolerated each other"

Mitsuba perceived how carefully he had chosen those words and sighed.

"That's unfortunate," she said "He's such a nice man, helps me out with Sou-chan when I'm stuck at work and he never complains about my spicy food, but Toshiro-san are you leaving so soon? I was going to brew some tea."

"Yes, I wouldn't be much company after this anyway." he lamented.

"Well, then give Kondo-san my regards and call me as soon as you have any news."

Hijikata answered her with a nod and a short smile.

"Goodbye." Mitsuba leaned against the front door and watched him walk down the hallway until he disappeared behind a corner.

"He's already gone, you look silly standing there aneue." came Sougo's taunting voice.

"I was just making sure he knew the way," she replied quickly, closing the door and sneaking into the kitchen to hide a soft blush "Have you done your homework Sou-chan?"

Hijikata's forgotten lighter on the counter made her miss Sougo's reply.

* * *

><p>10 YEARS AGO<p>

Hijikata looked at the shabby building with a sense of foreboding. Nothing seemed to recommend it from the outside. The fact it hadn't collapsed after who knows how many years was perhaps the only comforting thought about it. Beside him Kondo's radiant grin was impervious to his total disappointment. Hijikata tried to remember again why he had agreed to the arrangement, but his brain shut down that whole operation before he died of regret right then and there.

"So this is it Toshi! How do you feel?" Kondo asked him excited.

"Terribly-fortunate." Hijikata replied between gritted teeth.

"Yeah right?!" Kondo gave a loud laugh and dragged him over to the side of the building.

"Where are you taking me?"

"The front door is busted, we use the back one now."

Hijikata opened his mouth to protest but nothing came out except disbelief. He followed Kondo and they snaked their way around the dorm through a cobbled path barely visible amidst a swarm of weeds. They grew up the walls and threaded their way up the two-story building, twisting around old rusty pipes and ledges. It seemed that no matter where he looked, Hijikata was bound to find signs of negligence and decay. Being the epitome of discipline and order himself, there was no way he was ever going to adjust to the place. Nevertheless, it was only after seeing the interior that Hijikata started valuing the degradation outside. The squeaking wooden floor, the moldy walls concealed by stacks of books, comics and non-descriptive trash littering the floor sent shivers down his spine. Clearly no humans lived there, only animals.

"So downstairs we have the kitchen, bathroom..." Kondo showed him around as they walked down the cluttered hallway. Hijikata refrained from giving the rooms more than a superficial glance before he decided to turn back and send it all to hell.

"Here is the living room, oh! Yamazaki!" a familiar face appeared by the kotatsu as soon as Kondo opened the door "Look who I just brought back from the sticks!"

Yamazaki leaned to peek behind Kondo and gasped with surprise.

"Hijikata-san! Long time no see!" he got up to greet him and it took all of Hijikata's tenderest sensibilities not to punch the bastard. The need to blame the dormitory's total disorder on someone was crawling under his skin.

"Yamazaki has the room next door." Kondo said with a pat on the younger man's back.

"Yes! It's a 3 tatami room and it has a window to the backyard!" Yamazaki said proudly. Hijikata failed to comprehend the joy behind that statement. The description sounded dismal, especially for someone who had just been acquainted with what Yamazaki called 'the backyard'. Hijikata began to wonder if Kondo's entire dorm business was more a misfortune than a blessing.

"You're getting Danna's room, right?"

Hijikata looked at Yamazaki confused, noting a clear a lack of information on his part. He turned to Kondo anxiously, his eyes demanding an answer.

"Yeah, yeah we're getting there Yamazaki. Don't spoil the fun," Kondo replied with a fake laugh "See ya later!"

"Yes, sir!"

They rushed out of the room and Hijikata missed Yamazaki blinking an eye back at Kondo.

"Yamazaki goes to the dojo too?"

"Yeah, he helps me out with the kids and covers for me when I go on dates with Otae-san. Hahahahahaaha!"

Hijikata had known Kondo for far too long not to notice the subtle delusional tone in his voice. He shook his head with skepticism and walked on, deciding it was too soon to shatter the man's dreams. Even in their youth back in Kyoto Kondo's romantic fantasies rarely became more than that, fantasies.

There were two more rooms downstairs: Kondo's own stalker nest and a tightly shut room which read _Zura_ on the door. Its frame was covered with tape and someone had crossed out the name _Katsura_ on the top making it look all the more suspicious.

"Okay, now on to your room!" Kondo announced happily. Hijikata might have shared part of the man's enthusiasm if the sentiment didn't stem mostly out of frustration and weariness. His arms were half-numb from carrying his luggage and his legs ached from long hours sitting on the train.

The top floor had a much smaller hallway than the lower one, with only two rooms on the left and another on the right. According to Kondo, the first on the left belonged to some guy called Sakamoto, who nobody ever saw, and the second to a creeper named Hattori Zenzou whose hemorrhoid problems seemed to fascinate Kondo to no end. Hijikata was forced to call him out on his babbling so they might carry on.

"Kondo-san. My room now please." Hijikata said dryly, glancing towards the door on their right. Kondo started out of his musings and proceeded with an apologetic look.

"Oh, yeah, right, right, Yorozuya's room...Biggest room in the house, six tatamis!" he announced merrily, opening the door and striking a pose.

Hijikata stepped inside at once, his impatience getting the best of him, along with his surprise. It took him only a second before he wished he had stayed back home in the middle of nowhere. To this utter dismay, a body was laying not two feet away from him, ungracefully spread out on a futon. An open issue of Jump rested over the guy's face and a carton of strawberry milk was toppled over his futon, its contents staining the covers.

"Oi, oi, Mr. Real Estate Agent, who the fuck is this and why does he come with the room!?" Hijikata inquired in a panic.

"Yorozuya, your roommate."

"What?"

"I told you I could fit you in," Kondo beamed, satisfied with a job well done "His previous roommate took off a few weeks ago, he ain't coming back don't worry."

"That not what I'm worried about!"

"It's okay, Yorozuya's an idiot but he's a nice guy. Oi Gintoki, you awake?"

The man slumped on the floor grunted something unintelligible and waved his hand to shoo them away.

"You'll be fine Toshi. Besides, you're both piss poor. This way both of you will be fine with the rent and make friends, right?" Kondo winked an eye at Hijikata and gave him a thumbs up "I have to go to the dojo now for the rookies' practice. I'll be back later and we'll have drinks. You just rest from the trip now, Toshi."

"No Kondo-san wait-!" Hijikata ran after him but Kondo shut the door so quickly he almost collided face first with it.

"_Otae-san and me, sitting on a tree, in the Shimura dojo glee~_" the airhead sung as he walked down the stairs.

"Fuck! I'm gonna kill him!" Hijikata kicked the door in an attempt to sooth his rage but it was useless. He was just too fucking angry. He threw his suitcase and bag to the opposite wall, demolishing a pile of old magazines that stood in the way.

"Oi Toshi, could you tone it down? Gin-san is trying to sleep here." the man on the floor uttered out sluggishly.

"Fuck this."

Hijikata called it quits. He took a couple of cigarette packs out of his bag and stormed off to smoke them to exhaustion, maybe even a coma. One after another, he burned them all crouched in a secluded corner of the backyard. Surrounded by tall weeds, he almost felt like he had never left home; the vision of the grass fields around his brother's house still fresh in his memory. However, the notion was too wretched to even conceive and Hijikata laughed at it, almost choking himself to death.

He was on his second pack when the thought occurred to him that it was probably in his health's best interest to stop smoking and go look for other means to vent his anger. Unpacking was the first idea that came to mind but he soon regretted it. When he returned to his room the strange man was no longer feigning sleep on the floor. Instead he was rummaging through Hijikata's bags with an air of mild discontentment. Hijikata stood paralyzed in the doorway for half a minute, his brain slowly catching up with the perplexing sight.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he blared, snatching a pair of boxers from the stranger's hands.

"Are you gonna use those? I have a huge stain on my futon, I was looking for something to scrub it off." the other man answered shamelessly, as if boxers were a universally acknowledged cleaning product.

"And you came searching my stuff? Are you stupid?! What gave you the right?!"

"This is my room, oi! I thought this was my old bag."

"Not your old bag! Not your room anymore!"

The other man furrowed a brow at his reply. A scowl took over his features and he gave Hijikata a once-over.

"Wait a minute" he said "Who the hell are you again?"

"That's what I want to ask you! This was supposed to be my room!"

"No, no no no. This room right here," the man tapped the tatami mat with his hand "this shitty room is definitely Gin-san's"

"Who the fuck is that?"

"Me."

Hijikata sighed profoundly. He was starting to get an headache from all the stupidity and he was not sure trying to verbalize his situation would get him anywhere with the idiot.

"Listen, Kondo-san got me this room and I-"

"The gorilla did?"

"Yeah, he-! What the fuck did you just call him?!"

"Nothing, go on."

Hijikata's grip on the boxers tightened.

"I was saying, Kondo-san told me this was my room and you my roommate," Hijikata said in plain words, making an effort to come to terms with his own statement "Therefore this is no longer _your_ room, it's _our _room. You were here before, didn't you hear anything we said? I'm sure I heard you speak." he added with a sideways glance.

"Oh! Yeah, you're _that_ Toshi! Yeah, I heard that. Nice to meet you, I'm Gintoki. Now, to the heart of the matter Toshi-kun, are you gonna lend me those boxers or not?"

Hijikata thrust the boxers and a nearby pair of socks in Gintoki's face before his brain had time to think of an answer.

"Call me that again and I'll kill you."

Gintoki spit half a sock from his mouth and nodded halfheartedly.

"Whatever Toshi-kun, no need to be such a dick."

"It's Hijikata to you." he grumbled, unconsciously taking out another cigarette. It was already on his lips and ready to lit when a hand reached out towards it and plucked it out. Hijikata was so stunned he forgot to close his mouth.

"No smoking inside." Gintoki told him.

Hijikata's fluster seemed to double when he was forced to lock eyes with the stranger and gaze at his unusual crimson irises. For someone who looked the son of idleness, those disconcerting eyes were too much of a trap. Hijikata found himself holding his breath.

"You okay with that or what?" Gintoki's question came with more proximity and Hijikata was too disgruntled to rise to the challenge. The unexpected red gaze had taken him by surprise. He leaned back with what level of disgust he could muster and nodded his head, fumbling with the lighter while trying to shove it back into his pocket.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Gintoki seemed to ignore his unease and slithered to the closet behind him, sliding the door open with his foot.

"You can have the right side. I fished out the crap Takatin left behind so it's all empty now," Gintoki said while scratching his underarm "You may not peek over my side, nor ogle my secret porn stash with lusty eyes, and you must ask nicely if you need extra closet space. I'll rent it"

Hijikata looked inside the closet and it was impossible to miss the clutter on Gintoki's side. There was an old miserable set of rulers dividing the space and both were on the verge of splitting and sending Gintoki's mess all over to Hijikata's side.

"What extra space?! Your shit is ridiculous."

"Guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there." Gintoki mumbled oh-so-wisely.

"Your futon doesn't even fit in here."

"I've been using your side to store it, I admit it."

"It ain't coming back here!"

"It gets a lot of action so it won't miss the closet much."

"What?!"

Hijikata looked aghast. He tried to keep down his lunch but when he turned to Gintoki and the man winked at him the struggle became quite real. Gintoki found it hard to keep a straight face and burst out laughing at Hijikata's shock. A throbbing vein popped up on his forehead.

"You're a big smartass, aren't you?" Hijikata hissed.

"And you a tightass."

(*****)

* * *

><p>Apart from the days when he had a few odd jobs to run, a trade which he had undertaken during his college years and had now become his sole source of income, it was very bizarre to see Gintoki leave his apartment so early in the morning. For many it was an ominous sign. Catherine put up garlic cloves and crosses on her window when she saw him climb down the stairs after a cheerful Kagura. Otose, who was sweeping the entrance, squinted her eyes at him and felt compelled to pry into his business.<p>

"Glad to see you out on a job Gintoki, I was beginning to think you were going for your third month without pay." she remarked with a smirk.

"You missed a spot back there." he said pointing to a random corner in the hallway. Otose readjusted her grip on the broom and snarled. Gintoki poked Kagura on the back urging her to walk faster.

"Gin-chan stop pushing me! It's not my fault you're lying." she whined.

Gintoki put a hand across his face to hide his dismay and tried to resist the urge to facepalm Kagura into the ground. Luckily for her, Sadaharu was waiting for her by the kennel, leash in his mouth. She ran to him to say goodbye and tie him down.

"So you're not out on a job. What in devil's name are you up to then?" Otose wondered, reproach all over her features.

"I am just taking Kagura to school like the responsible guardian that I am, what's it to you?" Gintoki replied irritated, his earwax suddenly becoming very interesting.

"That is so disturbing I can't even laugh at it." Otose said gravely. Gintoki shrugged his shoulders.

"Kagura let's go, leave the dog, come on."

They bade goodbye to a shaken Otose and went on their way without further ado. They walked two blocks down the road before they met Shinpachi on his way to their apartment. He was also looking surprised to see Gintoki about and immediately asked him what he was doing there, a big smile plastered on his face.

"Got a job today Gin-san?"

"No, not really." Gintoki replied. Shinpachi's smile lost a bit of its sparkle.

"Is the TV fixed already? Are you going to Gengai's?"

"Nope."

Shinpachi's smile became barely visible and he turned pink at the next question.

"I-is it a date with T-Tsu-Tsu-"

"No, it is not." Gintoki said again in a deadpan voice.

The smile on Shinpachi's face disappeared completely and the pink of embarrassment turned into a red of fury.

"Then what the hell are you doing out so early Gin-san? Are you going to hit the pachinko parlors at this hour? Do you know how shameful that is? Do you even have any money? Only old men estranged from their families and duty go play pachinko at this hour of the morning, I don't even think there are any parlors open. And worst of all, you try to make it look like you are taking Kagura to school, what the hell are you thinking, you-"

"Oi, oi, oi, which Shimura is this? The male or the female?" Gintoki wondered aloud, interrupting Shinpachi's outburst of emotion.

"Gin-san, please just watch yourself, don't go waste what little money you have left." Shinpachi pleaded while regaining his calm.

"He's an idiot, what can you do?" Kagura added with a sigh. Shinpachi agreed.

The three of them carried on towards Kagura's middle school, much to her delight. She went hand in hand with both boys and was reluctant to let go when they stopped at the gate.

"Go on and don't do anything stupid like eating the other kids' lunch. Ask them first."

"Yes, Gin-chan! Bye bye!" She scampered away and soon joined a group of friends from her class. Shinpachi looked at Gintoki with disapproval.

"That was some terrible advice, oi."

"Was it, Pachi-boy? Isn't it a little late for you to be giving adults a sermon?" Gintoki gestured towards the school clock and watched as Shinpachi bleached. He repressed a shriek of horror and left in a dash, school bag pressed against his chest. Gintoki watched him go with some amusement.

"High schoolers these days..."

Gintoki took a deep breath before continuing his journey. He wasn't sure he would be successful but it was either staying at home biting his nails and trying to ignore what had happened, which was impossible, or go around and do some inquiries. It was still hard to believe it had been Hijikata in front of him last night. Although Gintoki's connection with him seemed to baffle Mitsuba, her relationship with him was equally crippling to Gintoki. He had barely slept that night with a barrage of memories suddenly deciding to assault him every two minutes. His bloodshot eyes could attest to that, but in spite of it, Gintoki knew he wouldn't get any sleep until he knew for sure what was going on.

He passed by the Shimura dojo where Kondo still taught kendo and leeched about for more than ten years. It was quiet and peaceful at that hour, and once Gintoki caught Otae cleaning the floor of the back porch he knew the gorilla was nowhere to be seen. Everyone knew Otae avoided Kondo like the plague and after a decade she had become quite the pro at it. She beheld Gintoki with a full-on glare as soon as he came into sight. She clicked her tongue with annoyance and crouched again, devoting herself to the wooden floor.

"Yo" Gintoki greeted nonchalantly "Is the gorilla around?"

"I threatened to call the police on him half an hour ago. He ain't here." she grumbled.

"Is he home?"

"Do I look like I care?" she said, twisting the wet cloth in her hands with relish. Gintoki winced internally.

"No, sorry. I'll be going," he replied, though he stopped in his tracks when a question came back up his throat "Perhaps you didn't see him with a friend from-"

Otae slapped the cloth on the floor with a sharp cracking sound, it echoed throughout the empty dojo and scared away half a dozen birds in the nearby trees. Gintoki took it as his cue.

"See ya."

He cursed under his breath and kicked a pebble by the road. There were no words for how much he didn't want to do what he was about to. He had a bad feeling about it and he hated himself for knowing it. A slight tremor shook his legs just thinking about it and he could not believe his knees were quivering. He was almost thirty for fuck's sake. He took out his phone and skimmed through the numbers. He hit Kondo's but it just rang without anyone picking up.

"Shit."

Gintoki's mix of suicidal curiosity and bravery lasted until he was face to face with Kondo's front door. He had a finger ready to pummel the shit out of his doorbell and a fist eager to bang on the door, however, he was petrified. He played the possible outcome of the encounter a dozen times in his mind and not once did any words come to his mouth. He realized he had been led by his emotions like a fool and he would only play the part to completion if he ever rang the bell and Hijikata opened the door. The excitement that had built in his gut overnight died like a flame put to water and the steps he took back in regret felt like freedom. When he lost sight of Kondo's building he could even admit to some kind of relief. As a reward for good behavior, Gintoki stopped by the nearest convenience store and bought himself a bag full of sugary treats and the cheapest carton of strawberry milk they had.

The automatic sliding doors opened for his exit and he bumped into a short plain mass of black hair. Gintoki's first instinct was to complain and ask for an apology but the lollipop in his mouth made that a troublesome ordeal, not to mention the person in question turned out to be Yamazaki and Gintoki instantly devised other plans for him.

"Oh Danna!" Yamazaki exclaimed. He glanced at the watch on his wrist and then back at Gintoki.

"It's early." he stated blandly.

"I was out of sweets." Gintoki replied jiggling his shopping bag. Yamazaki's mouth formed an 'oh' in understanding but the distance of almost six blocks didn't feel right with him. Gintoki helped him get to the point since he knew where the conversation would inevitably lead to.

"Seen the gorilla around?" he asked.

"No, not really. He has been busy lately, he..." Yamazaki's voice died away before coming back with a gasp. His eyes widened and he looked apprehensively at Gintoki, then with excitement "Ah! Danna! I almost forgot to tell you! Maybe you know it already!" he spoke with enthusiasm, overwhelmed with the idea he might be the first to break the news to Gintoki "Hijikata-san is back! He's staying with Kondo-san until the application for his new apartment goes through. I hear it's very nice, not like what we're used to here in the district."

Gintoki's apathetic reaction crushed half of Yamazaki's joy. He wasn't sure if Gintoki knew of the occurrence already or if he had just screwed things up. It was not like Hijikata's name was taboo. Gintoki had become quite indifferent to it over the years. At some parties he might even participate in Kondo's nostalgic reminiscences of their years at the dorm without feeling weird. However, with the bastard back things were entirely different. Hijikata had stopped being an unsolved and forgotten matter of the past. Gintoki had never expected to see him again.

"You knew already?" Yamazaki wondered with a gloomy voice.

"Yeah."

"Were you going to see him then? He must be-"

"No." Gintoki cut in.

"Oh, I see," Yamazaki mumbled. He felt an awkward atmosphere settling in and kept talking in fear of further silence "So you and Hijikata-san didn't keep in touch all these years, uh?"

"Not really."

"Well, now that he's back you should see him. He'll be happy to see you I'm sure."

"Are you?" Gintoki had meant to sound indifferent but bitterness escaped any way. He cringed mentally but Yamazaki's honest answer pierced his somber layers.

"Yes." the reply was plain and the candid look on his face left no doubt. Yamazaki wasn't trying to convince him, he said what he thought to be true. Gintoki let out a chuckle and crossed his arms behind his back.

"Good to see you Jimmy-kun. We'll catch up more later."

"See ya, Danna."

They parted ways and Gintoki went home with a smaller weight on his back, eager to indulge himself in his sweets.

* * *

><p>AN: I feel like this is going to be a long one. Please bear with me. Next chapter there will be present-day Hijikata's POV, I promise. Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed and read this story. Your support gives me incredible motivation, thank you!<p> 


	3. Moving On is Like Moving Back

Disclaimer: Sorachi owns Gintama, not I.

NOTE ON THE TEXT: (*) means end of flashback.

* * *

><p>How Fools Fall In Love<p>

Chapter 3: Moving On is Like Moving Back

* * *

><p>It was half past midnight and they were on their second bar. Kondo was ecstatic, his happiness riding its ultimate peak. Yamazaki was there too, eager to be of service and keeping the drinks coming. Other familiar faces were there as well, mostly guys from the kendo club who knew Hijikata from back in the day and also some new members who, though not very interested in meeting him, were definitely keen on attending his party. Their presence didn't bother him as much as one would expect. Hijikata's return had been spoiled before the celebration had even begun.<p>

Less than a month ago, Hijikata had been promoted to a high-ranking position in the Bureau after years of service in the force as Police Inspector. He had been given the choice to either keep working for Superintendent or go further in the administration and start climbing the executive ladder. Loyal to his ambition, Hijikata had chosen the latter. The transition had been smooth and effortless and he was ready to commit himself to the seas of bureaucratic work, when he was relocated to a suburb of Tokyo he knew only too well. He was put in charge of the district's administrative division and sent off with a pat on the back. The shock had been immense. Torn between rapture and distress, Hijikata had had no idea what to make of his future. He had tried to ignore all possible scenarios such a transfer entailed. Resigning was out of the question and it was beneath him to quit for petty personal reasons. He still remembered the sleepless nights of staring at the ceiling and letting the situation sink in, yet the numbness didn't last. He was aware of the transfer's good aspects and he acted promptly on them, calling Kondo and a few other acquaintances to help him with the move. In less than a week he had packed his bags and said goodbye to his old life.

The train ride to Tokyo had felt like a journey back in time. Hijikata's buried regrets seemed to fuel the engines. More than once did he stand up decided to go back.

Fortunately, his arrival had contrived to keep his insecurities at bay. At the last minute Kondo had been unable to welcome him at the station and a heavenly convoy was sent in his stead. When Hijikata saw Mitsuba amidst the bustling crowd at the train station his heart filled with warmth. He couldn't help but reciprocate the gentle smile on her face. He knew then he had made the right choice. Perhaps it was time to finally give in, he thought. All those years of evading her with work excuses and long distances were over. But there were other emotions at play behind his smile and Hijikata couldn't help but hold her image with worry. He accepted her invitation to tea almost out of guilt. The prospect of meeting Sougo again wasn't the least bit appealing, the horror of adolescence plaguing Hijikata's mind, yet he complied all the same. Indulging Mitsuba seemed to be everything he had left.

Surprisingly, she turned out to be the catalyst to his fears. That or just plain old fate. Hijikata wasn't sure at first. He had been smoking a cigarette by her front door when a crash shut him out of his reverie. Looking behind him, he could almost swear he had glimpsed a heap of silver hair disappearing down the hallway. But for a while Hijikata had remained in ignorance, finding no courage to ask Mitsuba about her neighbor. Besides, he wasn't certain if he really wanted an answer. To him it might as well have been an hallucination.

Alas, a day later he found out is wasn't so. And now here he was, twirling his drink in a haze, unable to stop thinking about his awful luck.

All around him people partied and laughed. They offered him drinks and congratulations but Hijikata couldn't let go of his misery. Of all things terrible in the world, he had to be stuck with the worst, even Mitsuba had to be tainted by that, that...

"Hijikata-san!" Yamazaki interrupted his thoughts with a big smile and hands full. He placed two shot glasses in the table in front of him and nudged Hijikata's arm "One for the promotion and one for the new apartment, come on!"

Hijikata eyed the cocktails with aversion. He gulped one down just to shut him up, after which loud cheers compelled him to finish the other. Kondo appeared out of nowhere with a big sake bottle and gave him an invigorating shake of shoulders. His elation was contagious.

"Now Toshi, you're gonna finish this one by yourself! Let's see how well you hold your liquor!"

Hijikata's prudent nature tried to fight off the challenge but he was too tired from fighting his own demons to start another argument. Pushing Kondo away was more than he could handle. He obliged his friend's request and let the alcohol assuage what his mind could not.

* * *

><p>10 YEARS AGO<p>

It was late in the afternoon. Hijikata had been poring over his books for over two hours, not noticing the shadows taking over the room and the sunlight dim to a bare orange glow. His head had started to ache when the words became too difficult to read in the dark, and he swore loudly as he stomped to the switch and flicked on the lights. Once he surveyed the empty room though, a smile came over his lips and he sat by his desk with such relief that it became impossible to further concentrate on anything except his own happiness.

It was unbelievable how in just two weeks he had forgotten what it was like to have some space of his own, some room to actually breathe. Hijikata didn't even want to know where the dunce had gone off to. He might as well never return. Coming home to find a deserted room began to feel like something Hijikata couldn't live without, or at least a big fucking improvement from yelling at Gintoki and shoving him to _his_ side of the room, and keeping _his_ mess from littering the whole fucking place. Snacks, magazines, comics, empty cans, if it was trash it was Gintoki's and Hijikata spent half his time ranting about it instead of studying.

Hence the change felt good, refreshing, ideal. Hijikata wanted everyday to be like this. Even the rest of the dorm seemed at peace when the moron wasn't around.

He climbed down the stairs to the common room, or living room, or whatever it was they all congregated to at some point in their daily lives, and he found Yamazaki watching TV with a bag of anpans on his lap.

"Hello Hijikata-san, wanna watch some badminton?"

Hijikata's eyes turned to the television screen and he sighed.

"No." was the reply, yet he sat down all the same.

"Quiet today, isn't it?" Yamazaki said, fishing for something to talk about.

"Is Kondo at the dojo?"

"Yeah, practice," Yamazaki said. He shook the bag on his lap and offered him some "anpan?"

Hijikata glanced at it just to wrench his eyes away from the stupid badminton game.

"Got some mayo?"

In that moment Katsura came in, feet dragging but silent. He had dark bags under his eyes and slumped on the seat in front of them.

"There's something terribly wrong with you, Hijikata-kun." he wailed while looking at the ceiling.

Hijikata and Yamazaki followed his gaze up and, finding nothing of notice there, turned back to the TV, the former with a scowl and the latter with worry.

Katsura wasn't a third as bad as Hijikata's Enemy, the roomate of hell, but he shared something of Gintoki's aloofness and overall stupidity. When Hijikata had first arrived to the dorm and gone on his quick tour with Kondo, the door to Katsura's room had intrigued him to say the least. He expected another creep to live there, never coming out and never socializing. He wasn't too far off the mark, except Katsura did make an appearance here and there at the most random hours. One day Hijikata had woken up at four o'clock to take a piss and walking by the common room to the toilet, he caught Katsura there watching a rerun of an old TV show about the late shogunate period, all dressed up in accordance too. Hijikata had never asked him about it and he had no wish to, but he could at last connect the screams that every now and then came from his locked room to some reenactment of the bakufu wars. Some nerd he was.

"You look tired Katsura-san, up all night working on your thesis again?"

Another person coming in interrupted Yamazaki's question. He dropped a pack of beer on the low table between them and slumped down next to Hijikata, jostling against him in the process.

"Does he do anything else?" Gintoki's voice rang with sarcasm and he turned slightly to the side addressing Hijikata "Scoot over."

"Watch it!" Hijikata snapped. The ease and content hosted in his lofty ribcage escaped in one long exhalation.

Katsura and Yamazaki flocked over to the table and everyone reached out for a can of beer. Gintoki slapped their hands off and pulled the six pack towards himself.

"Get your filthy hands off my hard labor, you cherry boy get on with your badminton crap, Zura," he paused to examine him and then continued his tirade "last time I saw you was four days ago and you're still wearing that?" the article in question was the white t-shirt with the penguin-like imprint Hijikata had always seen Kastura wear in their few encounters "You think this is Gutsy Frog? Is the duck gonna come out and talk to you in secret? Help you with your thesis? Pfffa!" Gintoki threw his head back in laughter and opened a can of beer. However, his mirth was short lived because as he did so, the beer spewed out and doused him all over. Yamazaki and Katsura broke into an obnoxious cackling and even Hijikata could not contain a loud guffaw.

"Serves you right." Hijikata told him.

"Asshole."

Gintoki grumbled indignantly but he no longer prevented their attempts to snatch a beer. He fumbled with his soaked shirt and brushed the foam off his pants. Hijikata was about to take his first sip when he felt the splatter reach him.

"Stop that shit and go take a shower, you stink!" he cried out, crawling away from Gintoki.

"Indeed, you look disgusting Gintoki." Katsura added.

"Shut up Zura, nobody asked you. It's not my fault the beer is defective!" Gintoki growled.

"Your brain is defective!" Hijikata rebuffed.

"Oh yeah?" Gintoki shot him a daring look and grabbed another beer can. He shook it and then aiming at Hijikata, he pulled the tab. The fight that ensued was inevitable. Both reeked of beer by the end of it without having enjoyed the tiniest drop. Yamazaki managed to hold back Hijikata by the arms and Katsura pulled Gintoki by the shirt almost asphyxiating him.

"I swear, we can't have one good thing in this house without this asshole ruining it!" Gintoki said out of breath, pointing an accusing finger at Hijikata.

"Everything was fine until you arrived! Why don't you crawl back to your hole, fucktard!"

The abuse continued and both missed Kondo's strides in the hallway as he ran to the bathroom. Yamazaki tried to nudge Hijikata and give him a hint, but the latter was too blinded by fury to listen. When Gintoki and Hijikata finally managed to move the topic of their argument to who was going to shower first, the sound of running water silenced them. Yamazaki and Katsura released their grips on the howling idiots and Katsura cleared his throat.

"There's always the bath house." he said solemnly. He finished his beer and went back to shut himself in his room.

"He's right, it's just two blocks down," Yamazaki said "and you know Kondo-san. He likes to take a nap in the tub."

Hijikata grimaced. The thought of the bath house annoyed him to no end, though his clothes rank, he was soaked in beer and he refused to spend another minute in that state; not to mention his threshold for taking Gintoki's bullshit was all but spent. He stood up without another word and grabbing a change of clothes, went out. He walked in a furious step, teeth clenched. He could barely remember his happy disposition half an hour ago. Going downstairs had been a terrible idea. He should have enjoyed more of that solitary solace in his room.

With a sigh, Hijikata turned a corner. He glimpsed briefly at the traffic mirror and that was when he caught him. The stalker on his heels. He felt like screaming.

"What the fuck are you following me around for?!" he did scream.

Gintoki was unfazed, his expression as nonchalant as ever. When he wasn't being equally boisterous as Hijikata, his natural apathy towards the world and its inhabitants was perhaps the most infuriating thing Hijikata had ever suffered. Gintoki's indifference might have been shrouded by a luring sense of mystery at first, but after two weeks of living and breathing the same air, Hijikata could assert with all certainty Gintoki was just a careless self-centered fool. Those strange red eyes were just that. Red. Unusual. Hijikata could admit for the sake of the argument he felt disappointed after knowing the guy, but that was it. Gintoki _was_ disappointment, not to mention stupidity, annoyance and worthlessness.

"There's only one bath house around here and it's communal, get that around your hick brain." Gintoki said, walking past him without batting an eyelid. Hijikata growled.

"And you had to come too, right now?! You're a stalker!"

"Do you even know the way?" Gintoki turned around and their gazes met. Hijikata opened his mouth to answer but he had to close it quick before he voiced out his defeat. Gintoki snorted and trudged on, Hijikata behind him with an massive flush of embarrassment.

The bath house was mostly vacant. At that hour only a handful of men were there enjoying the sauna. The old man at the front desk greeted Gintoki as they came in and they proceeded to the changing room. They took off their clothes amid a row of insults, the stench of beer rekindling their earlier fight, and afterward each picked up a towel and a bucket and entered the bathing area. They went to opposite sides of the room and sat down by the faucets grunting. Once the washing was done and it came to bathing, the two stopped by the same tub.

"Oioioi, this is too much." Gintoki noted in disbelief.

"I don't like it too hot or too cold. I'm not stupid." Hijikata said with a glare. There were three bathtubs total and each had different water temperatures. Unfortunately their preferences were very similar.

"I'm not stupid either, idiot."

Gintoki fell in after Hijikata and both submerged with frowns on their faces.

Hijikata tried to close his eyes and forget Gintoki's presence altogether, but not a minute had gone by before Gintoki's big mouth opened to present the world with a stupid pubescent joke.

"Still amazed how half this tub doesn't overflow with my dick in it."

"How about you shut the fuck up?"

"How about you take that stick outta your ass?"

Hijikata opened his eyes ready for another fight. The will to drag Gintoki's head under the water and drown him grew every second. It was ridiculous how Hijikata could not get rid of him anywhere he went.

"Yo, Gintoki how you doing?" a man with brown messy hair and some kind of goatee came out of the sauna looking exhausted. He dipped in the tub next to Gintoki and the latter sidled towards Hijikata.

"Good, how's the wife?" Gintoki replied blandly.

"What are you doing?" Hijikata asked him between gritted teeth. Gintoki's shoulders almost touched his.

"He creeps me out." Gintoki replied in the same manner.

"You creep me out!"Hijikata gasped.

"So I heard you were helping out at the shelter today." the man said. He went by the name of Hasegawa and gave Gintoki a thumbs up.

"They told me they needed some help and I didn't mind the cash" Gintoki replied matter-a-factually. It didn't seem like much to him, but Hijikata was surprised. Gintoki going off to work was the last thing on his mind when he had found their room empty that afternoon.

"By the way, could you go by my house this week and collect some clutter? There's also a sticky door the missus has been nagging me about."

"Sure, as long as you pay me" Gintoki said. Hasegawa replied with a fake laugh and Hijikata finally realized something.

"Is that why they call you Yorozuya?" he wondered aloud. Gintoki looked at him a little smug but it was Hasegawa who answered.

"Yeah, Gintoki does all kinds of odd jobs around town. He doesn't live in that dump for free! Hahahaha!"

Gintoki and Hijikata shot murdering looks at the laughing man and soon decided to quit the bath house. They went back to their shit hole with bitter feelings, though little did they know that in the future Hasegawa would taste a bit of a role-reversal.

(*****)

* * *

><p>After his semi-weekly prowl through the new titles in the bookstore, Gintoki got home just in time to hear the phone ringing. The number ID filled him with pleasure and annoyance. It was work. One of the local moving companies was short on a worker and they were willing to hire Gintoki temporarily as a replacement. He was too broke to decline the offer. After heating up some ramen to quench his empty stomach, he slurped the cheap noodles and left with a pair of worn sneakers on his feet.<p>

"So what happened to Tetsu-kun?"

"Sprained ankle." one of the movers told him.

"It was either that or being squashed by a piano." another pitched in. The three men inside the van laughed.

They were on their way to the customer's house, which was on the other side of town, some good four or five miles away from Gintoki's own humble abode. The back of the van was full with boxes and packaged appliances. According to the chief, there was another load in storage scheduled for pick up that afternoon, yet no matter what was prearranged Gintoki couldn't conceive how they were gonna manage both loads in one day. His arms lost half their strength when the movers opened the back of the van and he saw the actual cargo. A sudden desire to quit and go home blossomed in his chest.

"G-guys, oi, guys, l-listen to me, I'm glad to help but t-this is ridiculous." he stuttered in disbelief.

"Nah! Come on Gin-san, show us some spirit!"

"I have spirit alright, but it doesn't usually carry ten tons of," he gestured towards the contents of the van and shrugged "boxed wrapped crap!"

"Quit your whining and move it, they'll cut our pay if we don't do both loads today. I'm aiming for that bonus." a strong armed man growled, walking past Gintoki and leaping inside the van. He began distributing the cardboard boxes and pulling out small items that could be carried together.

"What the hell!" one of the movers cursed, readjusting his grip on a box "What's inside this thing, bricks?!"

Gintoki laughed and picked one up. The smile on his face disappeared instantly.

"Shit!"

"Chief told me it's mostly paperwork." the tough guy inside the van said while reaching out for the next one.

"You mean all of them are like this?" Gintoki gasped, eyeing the mountain of boxes still to be handled.

"Yeah guess so. At least they aren't fragile, we get lots of complaints with those."

The movers grunted in agreement and carried on with their toil. Gintoki took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on the money he would get since nothing else was going to help him through that day. He turned around and looked at the building in question. It was fairly recent without a blemish in sight. Gintoki counted one, two, three, fours floors. He entered the lobby with a funny feeling in his gut and then something inside him died. As if the quantity of stuff wasn't overwhelming enough, the customer's apartment was on the second floor and there was no elevator. Gintoki cursed the minute he had picked up the phone.

The sun had begun its descent, three hours had passed and the van was only half emptied. Gintoki tried to loiter a few times by the stairs but after getting caught by the big guy he felt a menace on his shoulders every time he turned his back. He was aware that refusing to carry those boxes wasn't worth being skinned alive by a man with mouths to feed at home. Moreover, Gintoki had his own surplus stomach to sustain, and a monstrous one at that. Kagura should be studied by scientists one day. Details aside, Gintoki was beginning to feel the toll of all the heavy lifting. His shabby t-shirt clung to his back with sweat, his forehead glistened and his hair was a bigger mess than usual with drenched curls dripping sweat onto the floor.

He set a heavy box down by the kitchen counter and leaned over it panting.

"This ain't right." he mumbled out of breath.

He heard loud footsteps coming in, clearly not the ones of the working men going up and down the building with heavy cargo. Gintoki assumed it was the customer and straightened up at once, running a hand through his disheveled hair in a vain attempt to look presentable. However, the person who came into sight was impossible to please. Gintoki's heart nearly stopped from the shock. Before him stood Hijikata in a black suit. He had been loosening his tie when he noticed Gintoki there and froze in place as well. They lacked the words to carry on.

"Yo, mister where do you want us to put this?"

The movers were now coming up with the appliances and they broke the stifling silence that had fallen on the apartment. Their question brought Hijikata back to life and he disappeared from view, leading the men into another room.

Gintoki let out the breath he was holding and leaned back against the counter. He tried to fight the smile spreading all over his face, but the circumstances were too ridiculous. He gave in.

It was sunset when the van returned with the second and last load. Gintoki could barely feel his legs, though they kept going up and down the building. He and Hijikata hadn't exchanged a word, not even to decide where things were to be set down. Gintoki didn't grudge him. In his current mood he wasn't much for talking as he was to collapse on the floor dying. Not that he would do it there. Although it had taken him a while to acknowledge, that was Hijikata's house and the shit he had been moving up and down was the bastard's shit as well.

Hijikata wandered around from place to place, opening boxes and checking their contents. He supervised the movers as they brought in heavy appliances and helped them occasionally when the situation seemed dire. Nevertheless, whenever Gintoki came near he disappeared. The most Gintoki saw of him was his back; the white dress shirt that fitted him so perfectly it actually grossed him out; the sleeves rolled up to his elbows after he had taken off his jacket; the hem of his shirt tucked into his trousers with barely a wrinkle. It wasn't fair how such a wild and violent jackass could look so neat and so... good.

Gintoki shook his head to dispel his less honorable thoughts. He wasn't paying attention to Hijikata. No way. He wasn't. He just couldn't keep his curiosity at bay. He wanted to find the differences in him, though there weren't many to be found yet. Hijikata seemed much the same stubborn idiot of old, keeping to himself and looking grave. There was no resemblance, he was exactly the same. Like nothing had changed. Like all those years had never been there. But he did look older, sharper, inscrutable. Anything he did stirred Gintoki inescapably.

Hijikata bent over to pick a box of papers and Gintoki's eyes lingered for a moment down his back. He had no time to regret the decision. Hijikata failed to notice the shelf behind him move and his eyes widened once he saw Gintoki run towards him in a flash.

"Watch out!"

Gintoki managed to hold the empty shelf back with the remnants of his strength. Hijikata put down the box he was holding and helped Gintoki push the shelf back to its straight position. Before they knew it they were thanking each other and then more silence followed.

Between feeling awkward and out of place, Gintoki was having trouble getting reacquainted with their proximity. Sure, judging Hijikata from afar and spewing some snide remarks to himself was easy. Playing the same game one feet away from the man was something entirely different. Especially when Hijikata seemed as flustered and off guard as he was. Gintoki had to break the mood, else he was just going to stand there looking at Hijikata's face like a dumb kid who stares at foreigners in the supermarket.

"Nice place you got here." he croaked out.

"Yeah."

"Lots of shit too." it seemed pertinent to add.

"No more than you, just not so useless." Hijikata replied.

"You should give me a raise."

"I'm surprised you're even employed."

"I'm not. Just filling in for a while."

Hijikata sneered and reached again for the box he had put down. Gintoki imagined his low expectations had been met. As sad as that might sound. At least he was glad the awkwardness was gone.

They didn't speak much after that. Once the job was done Gintoki left with the movers, eager for his payment. Later, he bought himself a drink and as he swallowed it, he remembered he hadn't even said goodbye. For a while the thought disturbed him, but he got comfort knowing he didn't own the jerk any politeness. Shaking off their eight year estrangement wasn't going to happen over night. Soon they would be back clawing at each other's throats and there was nothing he could do about that.

* * *

><p>AN: To everyone who reviewed, read the thing and put it on their lists, thank you so much. It really keeps me going. I know this one has been a little experimental, but I'm enjoying writing it so far. Hopefully it doesn't sound too dumb haha. Thank you again!<p> 


	4. To Break Boundaries You Have To Put Some

Disclaimer: Sorachi is our lord and savior. On mondays only.

NOTE ON THE TEXT: (*) means end of flashback.

* * *

><p>How Fools Fall In Love<p>

Chapter 4: To Break Boundaries You Have To Put Some Up First

* * *

><p>9 YEARS AND 10 MONTHS AGO<p>

After living in the dorm for two months, Hijikata doubted there was still anything in a hundred mile radius that could surprise him. He had memorized all the little quirks of the decaying house by grievous experience and his body had adapted to them unconsciously. He was now an adept at avoiding the bad spots of the hardwood floor and the uneven stair steps; an expert at closing the dripping taps and shutting out the noise of the old fans. He was even able to tolerate the dorm's degenerate tenants to a considerable degree.

Hijikata thought he had seen everything. Everything, except Sakamoto Tatsuma.

The first time he met him, Hijikata had been enjoying one of those unusual peaceful evenings of study in his room after Gintoki had gone out to buy another load of worthless snacks. A man had blast opened the door of their room and sauntered in with a pile of magazines tied up in a string. He flung it to the floor with a sort of triumphant jerk and laughed with his head thrown back in merriment.

"Hahahahaha! Look at this Kintoki! Another batch of exquisite high level! Ya won't get your hands on anythin' like this in your dirty alleys! Not in a million years!"

Hijikata bit the cigarette he had in his mouth and looked at the man with a mix of confusion and anger. Who was he? What did he want? Was he another one of Gintoki's retarded acquaintances? Why did Gintoki's life consist mostly of shitty characters like this? Hijikata reviewed these questions hastily and then looked closer at the magazine pile in the center of the room. Three shades of red crept up his neck, yet he managed to remain cool and collected.

"What the fuck is this filth and who the hell are you?" he reproached from his desk.

Sakamoto's smile didn't waver, if anything he laughed harder, as if Hijikata had just replied with some amazing follow-up joke. The man was so out of it Hijikata didn't know how to act.

"Remember when ya asked me if I could get ya this gem?" Sakamoto loosened the knot and pulled out a magazine from the pile.

"That's not Gintoki." a voice said. There was a pause and Hijikata noticed a short girl standing quietly behind the weird man.

"Wait a second," Sakamoto's eyes peered at Hijikata over his sunglasses and he leaned his head to the side "You're not Kintoki."

"No I'm not!"

"Oh whoa! I'm sorry I didn' recognized ya at first!" Sakamoto's astounded expression was replaced by a big smile "You're _that_ Oogushi-kun! Heeey! How have ya' been?" Sakamoto bowed his head curtly and gave a firm squeeze to Hijikata's hand "Oi Mutsu, look here! It's that Oogushi-kun I was tellin' you about the other day! The one who fenced us that rare Yugi Hoe card deck!"

"No, he is not." the girl replied nonchalantly.

"I'm tellin' ya it is! I'm pretty sure it's the same Oogushi-kun. We even went out for drinks after."

"Oogushi wha- who? That's not who- I am not Oogushi-kun!" Hijikata burst out, unable to keep hearing the name coming out of the man's mouth "Who the hell are you? Did that asshole send you here to piss me off? With your- your..." Hijikata was too riled up to even spell it, so he just pointed to the pile of porn mags on the floor.

Sakamoto stared at him for a few seconds before turning towards his companion and wondering aloud "You're right Mutsu, I don't think he is Oogushi-kun. Oogushi-kun ain't that rude."

Hijikata was about to send the butt of his cigarette into the man's brown perm.

"I moved here about two months ago! I'm Hijikata Toshiro and I'm trying to get on with my work here!" he explained exasperatedly "Now, who the hell-" his question was interrupted by another burst of emotion.

"OOOOOOOOOH! Look Mutsu! It's Kintoki's new roommate! I knew it! Heeey! How are ya!" Sakamoto reached for Hijikata's hand again and shook it with another big grin "I live just across the hallway! Sakamoto Tatsuma at your service," he introduced himself "This here is Mutsu." he gestured towards the girl.

"Hello."

Hijikata returned her greeting out of mere politeness. He was too overwhelmed by Sakamoto's personality to handle the necessary mood shift to address her. They were a strange pair.

"So how are ya likin' it here? Want some of these?" Sakamoto pulled the magazine pile to himself and began skimming through the issues, searching for the one he thought would best suit Hijikata's taste "I'm something of a merchant, you see, if you need anything, anything at all just ring me. Want big in the front? Big in the back? Genderbend? Other gender? Mixed genders? Whatever you want, I'll get my hands on it, no judgment. But everything for a price. We also trade depending on the items."

Hijikata didn't know what was more disturbing, Gintoki's apparent bad taste in porn, the sleaziness of the magazines or Sakamoto indulging in them with a young girl looking over his shoulder. She looked pretty innocent but maybe that was a ruse, like everything had turned out to be since Hijikata had arrived in Tokyo.

"How is Kintoki? Doing well? Been a while since I saw him. I mean, I have been out for a few days, or is it weeks? I think I lost track of the time. Too busy I guess. I didn't think Kintoki would be up for another roommate after all o' that with Taka-"

Hijikata was actually paying attention to Sakamoto's words when Gintoki's arrival put an end to his speech.

"What the hell are you doing in my room, Tatsuma?" he was sweating from the walk and he had a frown on his face "I told you to stop barging in like this. Did you even fence that shit radio I gave you like a month ago? You know I could have given it to Gengai and made something of it, right?" He strolled in casually, acknowledging Mutsu with a nod and then flopping down by his usual spot with the plastic bag full of sugary snacks he had bought at the convenience store. Hijikata felt like he was watching a bad teenage flick and his head hurt. Being in the same room with two perm heads was not beneficial to his health.

"Yo Kintoki! I found someone who's interested in that thing but he's being difficult about it. Just gimme a few more days. In the meanwhile, check this out, I was telling it to Oogushi-kun here, I got me a nice deal for this rare pile of quality porn..."

Hijikata's eyes met Gintoki's at the word 'Oogushi-kun'. His roommate turned towards him with a slight confused look and Hijikata noticed, with much contempt, how Gintoki mouthed a solemn _Oh_, as if he hadn't even noticed Hijikata sitting there before.

Hijikata blew a big puff of smoke in his direction and turned back to his study. He hunched his shoulders and tried his best to shut out the whole conversation unfolding behind him. It was best to just ignore them.

Sakamoto left twenty minutes later after successfully persuading Gintoki to buy some of his trashy magazines. Hijikata mumbled a couple of goodbyes out of his dying goodwill and hoped Gintoki would either just disappear or stay quiet for the rest of the evening. What followed was too distressing for him to predict.

First came the rustling sounds, which were annoying but conspicuous enough since Gintoki would always find something to grate on Hijikata's nerves whenever he was awake. Then began the short breaths and the silence. No pages being turned, no fidgeting, no nothing. Hijikata felt the hairs at the back of his neck stand up in alarm. Another gasp. He couldn't believe it. He turned around slowly, his eyes squinting. Yes, Gintoki was jerking off, or trying to, not five feet away from him.

"Are you fucking kidding me- !" Hijikata stood up so abruptly his chair fell back.

Gintoki stopped his ministrations with a furrowed brow, remaining completely at ease.

"Can't a man enjoy his porn in quiet?"

"NO HE CAN'T!" Hijikata blared, his voice so stretched he was afraid a shrill might sprung out instead "Don't you have any fucking decency, what the hell-" Hijikata tried to construct the rest of his sentence but his eyes were no longer fixated on Gintoki's smug face. They were travelling way bellow his midriff and he didn't know what else to say except expelling a stream of curses.

"You can join me if you want, there's variety." Gintoki said, nudging a couple of magazines with his foot. Hijikata gasped.

"You make me fucking sick!" he kicked the fallen chair aside and stomped out of the room, his face red with fury and shame. Hijikata had no other way to subdue those feelings but to exercise them away. He made it straight for the dojo where Kondo practiced, eager to lash out at the first opponent.

Gintoki went back to his business as soon as Hijikata was out. A smirk playing on his lips.

"And that's for smoking inside, bastard."

(*****)

* * *

><p>There wasn't much to do but sulk. Sulk in Gintoki's typical pathetic way. Three empty parfaits were lined up on the counter, a fourth melting away, his purse was lighter than air itself and his shirt hung loosely around his neck. Behind the counter the owner gave him a fishy eye. Nobody liked to be present for Gintoki's slumps, especially when he stuck to one's business like a parasite. The owner had already finished his fifth round of cleaning the glassware, but his persistence couldn't be blamed. It were three in the afternoon and there wasn't much to do other than creeping on the customers.<p>

Gintoki's slump derived from a multitude of problems that had been piling on for days. Most arose from the same pain in the ass chagrin of always, money. No one would have wondered about it who knew Gintoki's lifestyle, not even Gintoki himself, so much so that he was dealing with it as he ever did, ignoring the problem and hoping for the best. This included waiting for money to rain down from the sky or winning the lottery. Both pointless solutions to the problem since he wasn't a very lucky person to begin with. But experience had taught him all there was to know about gambling and the most important part was to keep playing until he won. Perhaps the fault was in the system.

Shinpachi wasn't a big advocate of Gintoki's approach to financial difficulties. He saw its faults right away, yet he didn't contribute with any plausible alternatives. He was always yapping "get a real job, get a real job, get a real job". Gintoki had begun filtering it a long time ago. He knew what happened to people who got real jobs. They became assholes. He'd rather wither and die and be reborn a plant than get a real job. Besides, he still had a roof over his head, didn't he? He still managed to put food on the table. Meager stuff, yeah, but they got by.

Gintoki sighed. Truth be told, it wasn't even about the money. Gintoki's body was just too used to nurture the drag of the bills and the debts. It didn't know how to process the whole spectrum of feelings people in TV dramas dealt with on a weekly basis. He was afraid he'd give in to his own baseless speculations.

A hand on his shoulder caught him unaware.

"What?-!" Gintoki swiveled around on the high stool he was sitting on and cracked his spine in the process. All at once the small amount of healing he had managed to achieve after two weeks of working with the movers was replaced with pain all over his torso. He cursed under his breath and leaned against the counter pitifully. The lifeless stare that beheld him didn't encourage him to embrace the pain either.

"Hello." Mutsu greeted him.

"W-what do you want..." Gintoki tried to look cool but his failure was a hard thing to witness. Fortunately for him, Mutsu was used to stupid antics. She was in fact eager to inquire Gintoki about another such fool as himself.

"Have you seen him around?"

"Who? Tatsuma?" Gintoki groaned. Just thinking about that brown perm gave him a headache, one which he needn't add to his list of physical aches at the moment "No I haven't seen him, but if he is around it's not hard to guess where he is, right?" Gintoki said, caressing his lower back and turning back towards the counter. His parfait was approaching liquid state.

"What do you mean?" Mutsu asked and sat on a high-stool beside him.

Her back was straight and her long hair fell on her shoulders without a lost strand. Her clothes weren't very feminine and her face looked as serious as always. Gintoki didn't like to look at Mutsu anymore. She reminded him of too many things past and present. He remembered how cute she was all those years ago with short hair and mini-skirs. He used to feel sorry for her every time Sakamoto brought her with him to the dorm. It wasn't a place for her. Gintoki always thought she deserved better than that, but she had chosen to hang out with the idiot of her own free will. She still did, so perhaps all that crap meant little or nothing to her.

"You know..." Gintoki wanted to get his point across without having to say it directly. For some reason he felt horrible having to say it out loud. Usually he would have blurted it out without a second thought: _Ask Otae_, _Why don't you go by the Snack Smile?_, _He's out to get rejected again is what_, but this time it was too cruel. This time Gintoki even pondered on consoling her. But he checked himself before he could fall into such a sappy trap.

"You chose a bad business partner, you know? You can do better than that idiot." Gintoki said halfheartedly, as nothing intelligent seemed to be in a hurry to reach his brain. Mutsu didn't reply. If she had any emotions they were well hidden away.

"Anything I can get you?" The owner stopped by them to take Mutsu's order and he left with a frown after she asked for a glass of water. He brought it back almost unwillingly and set it down in front of her with a grunt. She didn't notice him. After a moment of silence she spoke.

"I don't know what to do."

Gintoki picked up his liquid parfait and took a sip. It seemed the perfect thing to do after such a miserable sentence. He didn't have any good advice to give her. Not knowing what to do was his perpetual way of life.

"Neither do I."

* * *

><p>9 YEARS AND 10 MONTHS AGO<p>

Gintoki couldn't pinpoint the exact moment he had started putting a little more effort into his relationship with Hijikata. So far they had only pestered each other given their incompatible personalities and equal resentment towards having to share a room together. Kondo in particular felt this more keenly than any other person seeing as he was the one to blame. Nonetheless, Gintoki would admit to take his harassment a bit too far if Hijikata confessed to purposefully disregard all the unofficial rules of room-sharing. Rules which Gintoki had established right from the start. The smoking especially bothered him to no end. Not because he hated it, but because he knew the stuck-up piece of shit did it intentionally behind his back. Their whole vengeance-based system of coexistence thrived on these minute details.

Breaking that cycle, however, came nothing short of a disaster. Gintoki was too guilty and too confused by the time he caught up with his own subconscious. Fortunately for him, Hijikata was as dense as a rock and it would have taken a row of miraculous deities for him to notice anything of subtlety.

Everything had started with the callouses on Hijikata's hands. The first four or five times Gintoki noticed them he had barely made a quip about them. It was obvious where the dunce was getting those from. He probably tagged along with Kondo to the kendo club whenever his pent-up frustration reached its peak or someone made a mess of the kitchen. His dedication was truly admirable. Despite the amount of crap he had to study, he always found an hour or two to waste with the gorilla squad. Gintoki wondered if he wasn't worthy of praise himself since, in a way, he was the reason Hijikata had resorted to torturing the innocent followers of Kondo's cult.

Gintoki had taken no interest in the business at first. It barely mattered to him so long as Hijikata was out of their room. He had given it no notice whatsoever and was rather happy about it until people began to wonder how such a peaceful flower boy could be so ruthless and cruel. It was ridiculous. Gintoki couldn't go out on a job without a lanky kid complaining about the blue eyed demon Kondo had brought to the dojo. Gintoki knew by experience how prone Hijikata was to fight. He was strong but nothing grievous; he knew him to be more along the lines of peevish and prude. Not to mention, Gintoki definitely had more muscle than him. He was also like one centimeter taller and manlier. He was pretty sure these things counted in assessing a man's strength.

This obsession with the strongest body took Gintoki's harassment to new lengths and, in an unfortunate turn of events, he became his own victim.

He wanted to believe his curiosity was pure and his intentions only a stem of jealousy, but it got too awkward down the road to even remember his original purpose. Gintoki wanted to vanish into a mouse hole. Somewhere he could hide. Somewhere he could _sleep_.

Contrary to popular belief, Gintoki wasn't a heavy sleeper. His sleeping boasted more of quantity than quality. Thus it was common for him to wake up before Hijikata. Nine times out of ten, he would just pretend to be asleep and wait for his roommate to leave. But recently his habits had changed. He would just stay there awake in his futon, his eyes mere slits, stealing glances he couldn't resist.

The room was half dark, illuminated only by the soft sunlight streaming in through the window's dusty blinds. The murkiness certainly made it all worse. More intimate. More indecent. Gintoki wanted to claw his eyes out. He couldn't keep them away. Initially it had been too easy to just glance over Hijikata's body and cross out the weak spots in comparison to his own. But the competitive spirit took its leave before Gintoki could allow it. Watching Hijikata undress became a sort of daily ritual; sometimes out of boredom, other times...

Gintoki didn't know. He didn't want to bother with reasons either. It wasn't as if he got hard or anything. He just enjoyed how Hijikata's bare back looked when he pulled his shirt over his head and his skin appeared soft and smooth in the dimly lit room. It was mesmerizing. Gintoki would have barfed if possible. How was it fair? Hijikata was the scum of the Earth. Gintoki would have voted him off into space if he didn't have this absurdly bewitching side.

And Hijikata never changed his routine. Not once.

Not even after that one time Gintoki could swear he had been caught.

(*****)

* * *

><p>An independent means of transportation comes with a lot of solidarity and good-will attached. Gintoki reacquainted himself with this notion when Gengai finally finished repairing his old scooter.<p>

"Honestly, I was about to give up on it," the old quirky man told him "But it seems it has a life of its own," he said with a laugh "That or just fear of death."

"I'm sure it's that last one," Gintoki mumbled and scratched the back of his neck "How's my TV, old geezer?"

"Pretty sure it's a lost case." Gengai replied. His speedy reply earned him a sideways glance from Gintoki.

"Oi, you said the same thing about the scooter."

"Well, one can be wrong," Gengai said. He wiped the back of the scooter one last time with his dirty cloth and told Gintoki to test it "See for yerself."

Gintoki turned it on and the scooter rumbled in good health.

"You can pay me later. Work won't be sparse for you these next few weeks," Gengai declared with a guffaw "that and charity!"

Gintoki tried to laugh along with the old man but the truth was depressing. Now that he had his scooter back every wretch on the street was about to be reminded of a sudden favor they needed to ask Gintoki or an old score they had to settle. It pissed him off but it _was_ widely known Gintoki owed many favors to many different people. One could at least commend him for managing to make the tiniest profit out of such suspicious deals.

"Thanks anyway." Gintoki said. He put on his helmet and goggles and turned to Mutsu who had accompanied him to Gengai's shop.

"Hop on, I'll give you a lift."

She nodded and sat behind him.

"Come by tomorrow to pick up Otose's vacuum cleaner, she phoned me an hour ago to tell you about it."

"Why can't the old hag come pick it up herself?" Gintoki grumbled "My services aren't free."

"She said she'll deduct it from your rent." Gengai said with a wink, but the gesture was lost behind his industrial goggles.

"Whatever." Gintoki shrugged. He put his chin up and the scooter's engine revved. His next stop was the Snack Smile club.

Mutsu was a tomb the whole ride. She didn't fuss or said a word. Her calmness soothed Gintoki and cleared his mind. He wished he could possess her self-composure, yet he could feel her heartbeat rising as he turned the corner to the club. The paltry figure lying down at the front explained it.

"Thank you." Mutsu said quietly. She slipped off the scooter graciously and walked towards Sakamoto, picking him up with little effort. He was in a pitiful state, disheveled and reeking of booze. Gintoki tried not to empathize.

"Yooo~ Kin...toki," Sakamoto waved him a flimsy hand "Just the man I wanted to seeee." he drawled out. Mutsu withdrew her grip once he regained his footing, but Sakamoto held on to her shoulder to rummage inside his coat.

"I have something for ya," Sakamoto said "I heard Oogushi-kun was baack"

Gintoki gulped down a sudden mass of unease.

"I have something for him...wait no, I have something for you... to give to him." Sakamoto clarified, though the alcohol in his blood hindered him. He produced a package out of an inner pocket and extended it to Gintoki.

"Take it. Tell him it's a homecoming gift." he said with a snicker.

Gintoki looked at Sakamoto's outstretched arm with reluctance. He already expected one of those fleeting delivery jobs to be distasteful - there were always a few he couldn't quite chew - but he couldn't believe one had come so soon. Gintoki pinched his nose and looked at Mutsu. A minute ago he would have taken her to the other side of the world and been content. Now he just felt horrible.

He snatched the package with a click of his tongue.

"You owe me this one." he snarled.

Sakamoto laughed.

"You'll probably thank me later Kintoki."

Gintoki got on his scooter and stormed off as loudly as he could, coughing a cloud of smoke in Sakamoto's inebriated face.

* * *

><p>It took Gintoki three detours to finally stop by Hijikata's apartment. With enough luck the package would fit in the mailbox and he would be out of there in no time. But he had no such luck. He tried to squeeze the damn thing through the slit but well-wishing only got a person so far.<p>

"Shit." Gintoki cursed. He lifted a finger to press the doorbell and sighed. He couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to push the damn button. All that courage had gone down the drain two weeks ago.

To solve his problem Gintoki decided to ring the whole building and hope someone would open the door. Bingo. After a dozen elderly voices complaining through the transmitter, he got in.

Climbing the stairs was easy. His memory of the place was pretty fresh, though not willingly and without fondness. His back still hurt from loading all those boxes and his calves hadn't recovered completely.

Reminiscing about it brought him straight to Hijikata's door.

"He probably isn't even home." Gintoki muttered to himself. He took a deep breath and tried to squash his nerves to naught.

_Ring! Ring Ring Ring Ring! Ring! Ring!Ringringring Ring!_

Gintoki got a bit carried away with the doorbell and was drumming a tune when the door opened violently and Hijikata appeared in full glory, frown, suit and smoke all in one. Gintoki would have smiled if he wasn't actually shitting himself with glee. And agony. Mostly agony.

"_You_" Hijikata uttered it the same way a person identifies a disease.

Gintoki kept his deadpan expression.

"What are you doing here?" Hijikata's voice went down a tone and he narrowed his eyes.

"Delivery." Gintoki spat out flatly. It was curious how once they got a conversation going, even if there wasn't much of it, Gintoki's throes of despair simply faded away. He peeked behind Hijikata's shoulder and noticed how many of the boxes he had helped move were still stacked up high in his hallway.

"Deliver what?" Hijikata pressed on. He saw Gintoki glimpsing inside his apartment and narrowed the gap of the open door.

"Oh, are you hiding something?" Gintoki teased him "You didn't use to be so messy, what happened?"

"None of your damn business!" Hijikata scowled "I haven't had the time to sort it all out yet."

"Yeah, seems pretty boring business to me. Shouldn't you be working?"

"I am!"

Gintoki hummed in agreement and raised an eyebrow when they fell silent. He could feel Hijikata's piercing eyes hesitate over his body and then switch to the wall behind him when Gintoki caught him at it. It was amusing but stressful at the same time. Gintoki took his cue to revive the mood.

"Sakamoto asked me to give you this. Says it's a homecoming gift."

Hijikata took the package and his frown deepened as he felt it with his hands.

"You know what it is, don't you? You came to laugh at me."

"I could take that as payment, now that you mention it." Gintoki replied stifling a chuckle.

Perhaps it was all that time they had spent together in their youth that bridged the distance from the doorway to the balcony. Gintoki had barely noticed the shift. He was too focused on following Hijikata's muttering voice and avoiding the contents of the house, mainly the big boxes he was afraid would fall on him. When he finally realized where he was, the sunset almost blinded him. The giant window in the living room opened to a balcony with a privileged view of the city and let in a dazzling light.

"That fucking prick!" Hijikata's yell broke Gintoki's trance and he turned around with a slight jolt. Sakamoto's snickering was well justified. Gintoki couldn't help but burst out in laughter. Inside the package was a bundle of the cheapest porn mags Gintoki had seen in a while. They were probably some relics of their years at the dorm which Sakamoto had saved for a special occasion. Gintoki couldn't think of one better. Hijikata's flustered face brought him back ten years, though the fact he was almost thirty made it twice as funny.

Hijikata clearly didn't share the sentiment. He sent a couple of magazines flying Gintoki's way, one of which hit him in the face and sent him reeling to the balcony.

"Fuck!" Gintoki clutched his cheek and checked for blood. It seemed alright with no paper-cuts, yet it got atrocious once he looked up and found Hijikata crouched in front of him, his face inches away from his own and his hands on their way to clasp his chin, which he did.

Hijikata said something but it escaped Gintoki's ears. He just saw lips moving and heard his heartbeat banging against his chest. He was reminded of the silent Mutsu on their way to the Smile club.

Gintoki's lack of response inadvertently aggravated the situation. Hijikata began running his fingers through Gintoki's hair, feeling the curls unfurl in his scalp. His lips had stopped moving and the motion was probably an involuntary act his brain had no control over. Gintoki was petrified. He could see his shocked reaction gradually mirroring itself in Hijikata's face. Widened eyes, mouth slightly ajar, an overall expression screaming _what the fuck is happening?_ Gintoki was cut off from actually saying it by Hijikata's quick intervention.

"Just making sure your hair was still there. Thought you had a wig for a second."

While the statement was far from pleasing, Gintoki didn't so much as scowl. He could feel old gears in motion, some will of the past ingrained in his bones.

"I have to go. Kagura probably lost herself on the way home and all that. See you around." He detached himself from the constraints of that stiffing balcony and strode past Hijikata in a daze, desperate for the exit. The words _don't look back_ echoed in his head and he was glad of it because he already had enough he wanted to forget.

Getting back to his scooter was a relief. Gintoki wasn't someone who tended to run from his problems, but this was something entirely different. He had no time for it. He rushed home with little care for safety. It was a miracle he survived.

Kagura was waiting for him when he arrived. She had just returned from walking Sadaharu and was playing with the giant dog on the yard.

"Ah! Gin-chan! You were late today so I came back alone. Aneue doesn't know," she said with a half-comforting smile "I saw Shinpachi in the store buying more idol crap. I told him we don't approve."

She pouted at Gintoki's silence.

"Did Tsukki scold you again? Or was it Aneue-" Kagura gasped as she approached him "Gin-chan! What happened to your face? It's all red!"

"Gengai did something to the scooter. I fell again."

* * *

><p>AN: I don't know how to apologize for this ginormous delay! Work has kept me busy and I lost the writing spark during last summer. I got pretty depressed about it, but I missed writing these goons way too much. I intended to post an update on Gintoki's birthday but it fell out. Then I pushed it to Christmas and it fell out again. It was a mess. Anyway, now it's finally here and I hope I'll be able to update other stories soon. Gintama's new season will also hype me up pretty good. April can't come soon enough! As always, thanks for reading and dropping by your lovely comments.<p> 


	5. All Cats Are Gray In The Dark

Disclaimer: I cant even with Sorachi rn

NOTE ON THE TEXT: (*) means end of flashback.

* * *

><p>How Fools Fall In Love<p>

Chapter 5: All Cats Are Gray In The Dark

* * *

><p>Having finished putting in his extra hours and with a final glance towards his desk, Hijikata left his office. At that hour the sun had long gone. It was just him and his empty office. Papers towered about him, crammed in file cases and cabinets. Behind its closed door, the smoke of his last cigarette remained fading, hovering above a pile of cigarette butts in the astray.<p>

A couple of bitter circumstances prevented his ordinary journey back home. One, it was late. After-sunset late. _Sunset_. A terrible word Hijikata had blacklisted over the past few days. He knew why he hated it. Its mere mention brought up images he would rather not conjure. Two, it had been too long since he had last seen Mitsuba and he hated himself for it. He had failed to answer her invitation for tea not two days ago. His mind was full of doubts.

He stood motionless in front of the police station deciding his next move. It was out of the question admitting the reason why he didn't want to go see her. The choice of neighbor hadn't been hers. It hadn't been anyone's! Certainly not Hijikata's. It was just his sad luck taunting him again. Yet, he knew he must see her. They had things to talk about. Hijikata had to move on with his life.

"Hijikata-san? Did you forget something at the office? I can get it for you!" the face of his assistant Tetsunosuke appeared next to him. His eyes sparkled as he was eager to help his superior in any way he could. Hijikata brushed him off.

"No, I was just leaving." he said.

"What about an umbrella? You're not leaving in this weather?" Tetsu asked him. Hijikata hadn't noticed the wet sidewalk nor the pouring rain. His eyes had been fixed on something entirely different and unreal that escaped Tetsu's care.

"I'll manage."

Hijikata straightened his jacket and took off, giving a quick run towards the nearest convenience store. He bought himself a cheap umbrella and made for the train station where a small florist stand caught his notice. He would visit Mitsuba after all.

He arrived at her building with a small bouquet, feeling quite dumb and out of place. Imagining Sougo's idiotic face was enough to make him quit and send all his good intentions to hell. But he went through with it. He climbed the stairs to her door and crossed the hall with jelly for legs. He was betrayed by self-doubt before he could ring. His neck twisted and he glanced briefly at Gintoki's doorstep, reluctance pooling in his belly.

The sound of footsteps going up the staircase stopped his heart. He gasped inaudibly and glued his eyes to Mitsuba's door, dreading to be found. Whoever it was, Hijikata would surely look stupid hesitating in front of a woman's apartment with a bouquet of flowers. One person in particular would derive nothing but joy at his miserable sight.

To Hijikata's surprise, and immense relief, a teenage boy showed up and crossed the hall straight to Gintoki's door. He was short and wore a pair of nerdy glasses. There was something about him Hijikata couldn't figure out. He stared at him.

"Gin-san! Kagura-chan! Open up, it's me!" he announced while pounding on Gintoki's door. His shoulders were hunched and he looked tired. Nothing remarkable for someone who probably dealt with Gintoki on a daily basis.

Hijikata recognized the mellow voice coming from within.

"_It's open._"

The teenage boy struggled with the door handle and with a strong push wandered in. He soon complained.

"The handle is busted Gin-san, what the hell? Do you want to be robbed... I told you to get it fixed... no, I said it last week, no I'm not lying..."

Hijikata lost the boy's tirade after the door closed behind him. He chuckled to himself and went on to face the door in front of him with a lighter weight on his shoulders.

Mitsuba opened her door looking immaculate. She greeted Hijikata with a welcoming smile and it widened to a grin once he presented her with the flowers.

"Thank you so much, Toshiro-san! I was not expecting anything like this today." she said shyly, a shade of pink coloring her cheeks.

Hijikata felt his face warm likewise and tried to reestablish his composure.

"I'm sorry I didn't answer your invitation the other day. I've been busy."

"Oh, I see," Mitsuba complied, looking at the charming little bouquet "So these are apology-flowers."

Hijikata reddened in shame and stammered to clear his name but Mitsuba giggled.

"Don't worry Toshiro-san, I was teasing you!" she laughed "Please come in, let me find somewhere to put these."

He followed her inside the apartment and took off his shoes. He noticed Sougo's were missing and let out a sigh. An evening without Sougo was an evening of peace.

"Do you want to stay for dinner? I'm afraid I bought too much food again." Mitsuba said from the kitchen.

"No, I- I don't want to bother." Hijikata answered awkwardly. He wouldn't exactly mind if it weren't for Sougo's imminent arrival and who knew what else. Hijikata was too physically close to chaos to underestimate it. Some foreboding sense in him already urged him to be careful.

"Nonsense. Please stay, I insist." Mitsuba told him. She came back from the kitchen holding a pretty little vase where she had put the flowers. Hijikata was unable to refuse. He shrugged and she smiled, happy with his yielding.

They spent a pleasant evening exchanging news of their hometown, mostly from Mitsuba's part since Hijikata hadn't been there for years. They were interrupted a few times by a coughing fit which Mitsuba was hasty to disregard, stating it was only a cold. Hijikata overlooked it on account of the weather. He might catch one too if he kept dazing off in the rain.

Later on, Mitsuba busied herself with dinner and insisted once more that Hijikata stayed to eat with them. The plural meaning her and Sougo. Hijikata gulped nervously.

"Could you go next door and call him for me? I asked Gin-san to let him over since I was feeling a little sick and needed to rest. Sougo didn't want to, but he needs to play with friends and stop fretting over me all the time. I know he likes it there." she said with a smile.

Hijikata sat quietly in his spot looking dismayed. The TV colors flashed on his face giving him a grim profile. Mitsuba peeked out of the kitchen to encourage him.

"Come on Toshiro-san, I know you and Gin-san don't get along, but please don't be so childish. I already have Sou-chan to watch over." she said tittering.

Hijikata grunted and did as he was bid out of respect. He didn't want to disappoint her and throwing a tantrum wasn't his idea of charm either. His feet moved unwillingly and he left her apartment with a frown.

He couldn't believe how horrible the evening had turned out. Everything about Mitsuba's request was appalling. Hijikata didn't know where to begin. A million things stormed through his mind as he walked the short distance from Mitsuba's door to Gintoki's. His hands were sweating. He craved a cigarette. It was impossible not to be reminded of Gintoki's visit a week ago. Hijikata hadn't expected an ounce of the adventure _that_ had been. Until the moment Gintoki rang at his door, Hijikata had been fine. He had been in control. Even after the ridiculous man had inexplicably helped him with his moving, Hijikata had remained safe. Whole. He wasn't so sure about that any more.

He rang on the door and listened to the commotion inside. He could tell a pair of short legs was coming. He just didn't know whose.

The teenage boy he had seen earlier opened the door. He looked tired and out of patience. Hijikata almost pitied him but he felt equally sour.

"Um, hello. Good evening. Can I help you? Did Gin-san do anything again?" the boy sounded wretched. Hijikata ignored the irony of the question.

"No, I'm here for Sougo-"

"What is it Shinpachi? I already told that old hag it wasn't me that broke the mail box. What does she want now?"

Hijikata's eyes widened before Gintoki got to the door. He fastened on the boy before him bewildered and let the name form on his mouth.

"Shinpachi..."

Shinpachi stared back at him with confusion and when Gintoki reached them he nudged him on the side.

"Hey Gin-san, it's a strange man." he whispered.

Hijikata felt his chest ache when Gintoki's red gaze fell on him with smirk.

"Seems like he doesn't remember you, Hijikata-kun."

* * *

><p>9 YEARS AND 7 MONTHS AGO<p>

Hijikata was relaxing in the living room, sharing a well deserved beer with Kondo after a tough week of exams. His brain was sore from studying and his eyes red from lack of sleep. He only needed the right incentive to let his body collapse. This came along with Katsura's appearance for dinner. At his suggestion, the three of them ordered takeaway from Ikumatsu's shop, an abnormal acquaintance of Katsura as far as Katsura's acquaintances went. She arrived shortly thereafter, gave them a discount on the ramen and took off to finish her deliveries. Empty bowls soon decorated the living room's table top, plus half a dozen beer cans. Hijikata was full and pampered, ready to go to bed. However, the clean-up awaited him. Katsura had disappeared as quickly as had he surfaced and Kondo had drunk himself into a stupor to vindicate another violent rebuke from Otae earlier that day.

Hijikata went through his task with grinding teeth, the embrace of his futon the sole thing cheering him on. He was too tired to do much beyond that, so instead of dragging Kondo's sorry ass to his room he left him sleeping in a weird position on the floor. Afterward he trudged up the stairs, his body heavier with each step. He spread out his futon and fell on it with abandon. He doubted he would ever leave it again. His limbs were like lead. His eyes scorched under the lids. The nearest object was sent flying to the switch and the lights turned off.

Peace.

Or so he wished.

Hijikata was already in that state between wakefulness and sleep when in came Gintoki turning on the lights, dropping shit everywhere, making a ruckus, stepping ON HIM! Hijikata twisted like a snake and turned around in his futon, sitting up with the biggest scowl on his face.

"You want to be killed you fucking degenerate-!"

His outburst of rage was misplaced. It was not Gintoki trampling all over him but a tiny kid not even four years old. His eyes were sleepy behind his glasses and he looked a bit shocked at the angry man in front of him. Gintoki had covered his small ears in perfect timing to spare him Hijikata's gush of insults.

"Hijikata-kun you'll have to watch your language tonight, we have a guest," Gintoki announced, pulling back his hands "This is Shinpachi, Shinpachi this is my roommate Oogushi- I mean, Hijikata-kun."

Hijikata restrained a snarl and gave the kid half a smile. He wanted to punch Gintoki to hell and back, but he was too exhausted and desperate to lie down.

"Why is he here?" Hijikata grumbled. He hoped it wasn't some illegitimate child of Gintoki's or worse, a kidnapping. If it came with Gintoki it was sure to be trouble.

"His sister is working late, so she asked me to take care of him." Gintoki said. He pulled out his futon and dove into his clutter for extra blankets.

"You? Take care of him?" Hijikata mulled over the notion with distaste. Shinpachi looked lost.

"Yo Shinpachi hold this for me." Gintoki threw the boy a spare pillow he had dug out of the closet. The pillow collided with Shinpachi's small frame and he toppled to the side like a doll, landing not so gracefully on Hijikata's legs.

"Hey watch it!" Hijikata groaned. He helped the kid up but his concern was wasted on him. Shinpachi giggled with amusement.

"It's okay Shinpachi. Hijikata-kun isn't much fun." Gintoki pointed out.

"Shut up." Hijikata turned his back on the duo and lay down. He was done humoring Gintoki for the day. He just wanted some peace and quiet so he could rest.

But it would still be awhile before he could get that.

Hijikata had his fists clenched under the covers, waiting for the troublesome duo to settle down, when a big mass lurched against his futon. He started and opened his eyes, wondering for a moment if fussing would be worth it. He looked over his shoulder and saw Gintoki's mess of silver curls much closer than he usually spotted it on the other side of the room, which was to say at least four feet away from him. Hijikata immediately twisted around to protest. Gintoki's stern back greeted him and it seemed wider somehow.

"What are you doing!" Hijikata hissed under his breath. He sputtered the back of Gintoki's neck in his fury, but it did little to assuage his urge to strangle him.

Gintoki turned around with annoyance. His shoulder failed to crush Hijikata's face by an inch.

"What do you mean, what am I doing?" he muttered in frustration "Was I gonna let Shinpachi sleep on the floor?"

Hijikata raised his head and scanned down the room to get the whole picture. Gintoki had joined both futons together to fit in the little kid and he had been very generous with the amount of blankets on their side.

"It's not my fault the room is so small," Gintoki whined "And it's certainly not my fault I had to sleep in the middle because you scare little kids!"

"Shut the hell up and stay on your fucking side, I wasn't the one who brought a kid with me! It's your responsibility." Hijikata muttered under his breath, gathering his covers to himself.

"No, you're already the fucking kid around here!" Gintoki snapped back.

"Gin-chan..." Shinpachi's faint voice interrupted their argument "The light." he moaned.

Gintoki nodded and groped the floor over his head for something to throw at the switch.

"I already used your Jump." Hijikata deadpanned.

The jape earned him an elbow to the chest as Gintoki got up to flick off the lights himself. The damage didn't stop there. Hijikata had barely finished his chain of low curses when Gintoki came stomping back in the dark treading all over him. Hijikata tried to dodge the strikes but his movements were restricted. Like a worm, he contorted back and forth trying to snare Gintoki, which he ultimately did with the help of darkness. Gintoki stumbled in the sea of limbs and covers beneath him and fell over Hijikata with a thud.

"Shit, you broke my arm." Hijikata seethed.

"You fucking reek." Gintoki said with revulsion.

"Get off me, bastard- watch out, that's my- UH!"

All the air in Hijikata's rib-cage left him and he was assaulted by searing pain. Gintoki's knee had collided with his tenderest parts and sent them shriveling. Tears welled up in Hijikata's eyes and he curled into himself like a cat. His balls and brains throbbed with agony. His neck was mad with heat, but the cause of that swelter were not his aches. It was Gintoki burying his laughter on his victim, head tucked between Hijikata's neck and shoulder. It was a wonder Shinpachi slept undisturbed.

"You asshole..." were the only words Hijikata could articulate apart from whimpers. His pillow stifled the rest.

After a minute of petrified torment, Gintoki's laugh ceased and cold air returned to caress Hijikata's neck. The weight on top of him disappeared and Gintoki returned to his place between the two futons.

"Sorry, I couldn't see it, could I?" Gintoki said by manner of apology, though his voice was still full of mirth.

Hijikata ignored him. He breathed slowly and tried to contain his homicidal longing. He didn't know when or how but he would have his vengeance. He would be dead and buried before Gintoki got away with impunity. The damage done wasn't pardonable. Hijikata loosened his tense muscles and stretched out his legs, gradually unfolding from his curled position. As the pain faded, the room became silent. Only Shinpachi's deep breathing could be heard. Hijikata wondered if Gintoki had fallen asleep. He hoped he had for the sake of his miserable life.

A hand came to rest on his side. Cold fingers touched the warm skin below his t-shirt.

Hijikata's heart jumped.

He turned around not quite knowing what to expect. It wasn't Gintoki's back he found again, but Gintoki's face at level with his own. Hijikata's insides quivered. They must have been an inch or so from each other. He slunk back considerably, aided by the silvery contours of Gintoki's hair. Even in the dark he could discern it. He could tell they were disturbingly close.

"What now? I'm really tired." Hijikata whispered, his desperation palpable.

"I was just checking if you were still alive. You got quiet all of a sudden."

Gintoki was so near that his voice vibrated all over Hijikata's skin. Hijikata couldn't measure how strange it was. He had never been in a situation like it before. His fingers held tightly onto his covers awaiting orders, but his mind drew a blank. His senses ruled. His eyes were black pools in the dark, struggling to perceive every black shade. The place on his collarbone where Gintoki had buried his head stung with fire. Even his scent threw him off. It was a nightmare and Hijikata begged to be released from it.

The hand Gintoki had withdrawn from his waist came to rest on his face. Hijikata wondered about the powers of the dark. How bold it made people. And how passive. He couldn't rouse himself to fight it.

"Hijikata?" the darkness called his name.

It might have been a trick of his mind, but something brushed against his lips and the illusive atmosphere shattered.

"I'm fine." Hijikata rasped.

He turned his back and wished for sleep.

(*****)

* * *

><p>Shinpachi's eyes shifted from Gintoki to Hijikata in study.<p>

"I'm surprised you remember him." Gintoki observed.

Hijikata glared, dismissing the rude comment, but a pang in his heart made him break eye contact. The stifling enclosure of their old room beset him. It constricted his throat and smothered every word striving to get out.

"Shinpachi used to stay with us when he was a runt. As you can see, he hasn't changed much." Gintoki added, prodding Shinpachi's back with his finger. The teen jerked and blushed in embarrassment.

"What are you saying Gin-san!? What a jerk! At least I'm not an irresponsible adult, I'm the one taking care of-"

"What's with all this fuss? Blahblahblah, I can't do my homework in peace!" a short girl came storming in. She forced her way between the squabbling duo and pushed them aside with her little arms.

Hijikata peered at her with curiosity. He remembered Gintoki mumbling something about a girl, but his brain had hardly registered anything sane during their last encounter. The panic of the situation had yet to leave him as had the imprint of so many other borderline events of his life where Gintoki was implied.

"Who's this?" Kagura asked flatly, her big blue eyes poring over Hijikata's figure "Are you cosplaying as Mamo-chan?"

Hijikata missed the reference. He opened and closed his mouth without anything to say.

"No, he is the garbage man. He came to collect our crap." Gintoki told her in all seriousness.

"Oh really?! Finally! Let me go and get it, mister."

She scuttled away before Hijikata could stop her. He sent a murderous look to Gintoki, reigning in his tongue so he wouldn't lose his cool in front of Shinpachi. His past was shaming enough.

Kagura returned not a minute later dragging Sougo by his shirt. She wasn't so much dragging him as she was fighting him. They bickered to the front door, pulling hair and pinching each other until Kagura bumped into Hijikata and set to hide behind him.

"There, Garbage-san. I've brought out the trash, you can take it away." she pointed at Sougo and stuck out her tongue.

Shinpachi was livid, Gintoki snorted and Sougo lunged at Hijikata to get to her. The two kids spun around him viciously, Kagura laughing and Sougo whistling. Hijikata tried to put a stop to them before he fell on his ass.

"Hijikata the wet-nurse, I gotta get this." Gintoki sneered. Hijikata saw him take out his cellphone from the corner of his eye.

"Don't you dare." he warned. But his threat was meaningless. Kagura and Sougo pushed and pulled him around in their cat-and-mouse game while Shinpachi wrestled to break them apart. Hijikata could barely hold his balance.

"Now you know first-hand how tough my life is, taking care of these idiots all the time." Gintoki said with a sigh. He snapped a few pictures with the most boring look on his face.

Aggravated was an understatement to describe Hijikata's mood. It took a loud scream from what seemed like the depths of hell to put an end to the commotion.

"WHO'S MAKING ALL THAT RACKET UPSTAIRS!?"

Mitsuba stepped out from her apartment in alarm. All eyes fell on her with anticipation, except Hijikata who furrowed his brow. He was new to the skit. She walked to the railings of the staircase and went down a few steps towards the angry voice.

"I'm so sorry Otose-san," Hijikata heard her say gently "You too Catherine-san, I'm sorry. I was making dinner and forgot where I was putting my pan. I'm so clumsy today."

A few grunts of assent followed and Mitsuba heeded them.

"You're so right! I need to try that next time. I'm so sorry. Yes, good evening."

Then she came back up and surveyed the group with a subtle smile.

"You've done your share of trouble for today, I hope?"

Sougo walked over to her without a word. Something about her angelic face was terrifying. Kagura too let go of Hijikata's waist and fled to Gintoki's legs like a cub.

"You too Toshiro-san," Mitsuba beckoned him with the same hardy smile "Dinner is ready."

Hijikata's feet moved at once.

"Gin-san, thank you for taking care of Sou-chan. Good evening"

Both parties ate that night in proper form. Mitsuba's virtuous character had put them all in check.

The sky was heavy with clouds when Hijikata bade his goodbyes. The orange lights of the city stuck ominously to the dark grayish mass above him. He lighted a much needed cigarette as he climbed down the stairs and met a dark figure at the entrance. It was an old woman leaning against the mail boxes and rummaging the insides of her coat. She glanced at him when he passed by.

"Got a light?" she asked. Two of her long rugged fingers held a cigarette. Hijikata reached for his lighter and lit it for her.

"Thanks." she said puffing out a cloud of smoke.

"No problem."

Hijikata resumed his exit, wondering where he had heard her voice before, then she called him back. The slight raise of tone unmasked her. Hijikata recognized her as the deafening damper from before.

"You know the missy upstairs?"

Hijikata turned to her slightly surprised. He wasn't a big fan of gossip and he had no wish to to feed it.

"Yeah."

"Visiting an old flame, are you?" she asked. Hijikata searched her eyes in the murky atmosphere but he couldn't catch her gaze.

"Friend from back home actually. Good evening." he told her, hoping to have done with the chat.

"Terrible kids, aren't they?"

The answer was easy.

"Yeah."

But Hijikata regretted his reply as soon as he said it. He gave the old lady a brief glance over his shoulder. She had deduced him to come visit Mitsuba but she had asked him about the _kids_ rather than just Sougo.

Hijikata shrugged his shoulders. It was probably nothing.

* * *

><p>AN: Haha, Otose is a sly fox, isn't she? Reminds me of how hard it is to have a favorite character in Gintama. Btw I'm sorry this chapter had such a domestic flair, I don't know why it came to be that way (maybe it's just me). It was also mostly Hijikata's PoV because I thought it necessary after Gintoki's dumb antics on the previous chapter. In response to <strong>SkyHana<strong>, I have considered writing Takasugi and Shouyou-sensei but I'm still not sure where they stand in the plot. They will have something to do with Gintoki's past if they appear, as they do in the original work (I like to mirror canon stuff in my AU's). Well, I'll stop rambling now. Thank you for the kind words and thanks for reading. I'll do my best to keep updating!


	6. The Landlady's Stray

Disclaimer: Sorachi can be pretty damn evil.

NOTE ON THE TEXT: (*) means end of flashback.

* * *

><p>How Fools Fall In Love<p>

Chapter 6: The Landlady's Stray

* * *

><p>Otose's steps were unusually silent. The wooden boards bent quietly under her feet as she walked towards Gintoki's front door, her timing precise. She never missed a soul going in or out of the building be them Kagura and Sougo jumping down the stairs, Shinpachi's hesitant comings and goings or Catherine's catlike gait. No sound went past her radar. Hence her visit had a clear purpose, one which eluded the ruminations of her tenant Gintoki, who was enjoying his Saturday morning alone, relishing in the tranquility of his home after Kagura had left early with Shinpachi to go visit Otae.<p>

Gintoki closed his eyes in denial as soon as the doorbell rang. The natural order of things dictated he should spend his weekend catching up on his shows now that Gengai had fixed his TV. But few people were as relentless as Otose. She knocked on the door again and again until Gintoki no longer ignored her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!"

He figured whatever it was couldn't be too bad since no one was shouting for him. He left the bathroom door open before answering, not disregarding the possibility of an emergency lockdown.

Otose's figure at the threshold gave him the creeps. She had a sake bottle under one arm and held two small cups in one hand. A cigarette smoldered between her lips.

"Move." she uttered walking past him.

Gintoki was too stunned to protest. He grit his teeth, sent God a silent prayer and closed his front door.

Otose took a seat in his living room and placed the bottle in the center table. She poured herself a cup and drank it before Gintoki had returned to his seat.

"Oi oi, don't you think it's a little early to be drinking? You think your liver is some kind of wealthy godfather? Wait- don't tell me, did you get a new one?"

"Shut up and drink." she cut him off.

Gintoki was offered a small cup and Otose's eyes beckoned him to take it.

"What's this all about?" he wondered. The weather forecast distracted him for a second, his eyes shifted towards the TV, but the screen blacked out before he could read the headlines. Otose held the remote in her hand with impatience.

"Hey I was watching that!" Gintoki complained. His sake cup still untouched.

"Get me an astray."

Gintoki's mouth opened in disbelief. He could not believe he was getting this kind of dictatorial bullshit so early in the morning. The clock on the wall didn't even read ten yet! The ashes of Otose's cigarette held on with mastery, glowing eerily, threatening to fall onto the floor. Gintoki cursed. He got up and brought her the astray mostly to get away and put his thoughts in order. It had been a while since he and Otose had had anything resembling a civic conversation. Perhaps the deal with the mailbox had finally pushed her beyond her limits and she had come to enact some kind of punishment. Gintoki placed the astray in front of her and examined the sake cup she had offered him. Could it be poison?

"Thank you." Otose tapped her cigarette and the ashes fell.

"If this is about the mail box, it wasn't me. You know I don't even check it. I don't like bills," Gintoki said "and Sakamoto sends me strange stuff."

"We'll get to that later," Otose noted "You know very well why I'm here. You've been hiding it from me." she took a drag on her cigarette and the tip flickered. Gintoki frowned in confusion.

"Well that could be just about anything really." he replied with boredom.

"What about Mitsuba's guest? Let's start there."

A chill ran down Gintoki's back. He broke eye contact with Otose and peered down at his cup. It looked tempting.

"What about him?" he grunted.

"I met him last night when I went out to check the mailboxes." she informed him. Gintoki ignored the cold sweat breaking on his forehead. His will to elaborate on the subject was the same as to eat Sadaharu's hairballs if the dog ever spit them. Otose chuckled before speaking.

"Who knew you had such ordinary taste?"

Bile came up Gintoki's throat. He reddened, either from anger or embarrassment he didn't know.

"W-what?! The sake must be affecting your brain, granny! It ain't working so well!"

Otose pressed her cigarette hard against the astray and stood silent. She lit another one and faced Gintoki again, mouth hard and eyes gleaming.

"Don't lie to me, Gintoki."

Gintoki snorted and gulped down his cup. The strong liquor hit his empty stomach like gasoline and he pondered on swallowing a lit match next if his weekend dragged on in this manner.

"It's him, isn't he?" her question required no answer, Gintoki's silence was enough.

Otose poured him another cup and it went down as fast as the first.

"He knows Mitsuba, uh? What a coincidence," Otose mused "You really have shit for luck Gintoki. I'm glad I brought you some comfort."

Gintoki eyed the sake bottle with aversion. Otose's red nails contrasted against the green glass. He couldn't say the sake had been unwelcome, the burning sensation in his throat both sickened and consoled him. It was the subject of conversation that gave it a bad taste.

"So, when were you going to tell me?" she asked him after exhaling a big puff of smoke. Gintoki clicked his tongue and crossed his arms, leaning over the table.

"Tell you what? Why would I tell you anything? Who cares?"

"You already knew he was back," she said calmly "There had to be a reason you were acting weird," she paused to correct herself "well, _weirder_ than usual. Going out to take Kagura to school? Nonsense. I should have seen this coming, you and me both." she sighed.

A moment of silence followed where Gintoki tried to turn on the TV with the power of sheer will.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I don't mind, suit yourself." Otose declared. Her jaw clenched and she avoided laying her eyes on Gintoki for the remainder of her smoke.

A bang on the door jolted Gintoki's numbed senses. He jumped on his seat and the indecipherable expression on his face gave way to a grimace.

"What is it now!?" he yelled.

"Sack-face! You home? Is Otose there? O-TOO-SEE!" Catherine belted out each syllable of her landlady's name.

"Look at the respect you fiends treat me with," Otose lamented, smoothing her casual kimono with a firm hand "Grievous."

At the door Catherine and a pale girl wearing a maid outfit waited for her. Gintoki followed and stared at the stranger with a deepening frown. The early hours of the day aggravated the peculiar appeal of her green hair.

"What's this? The maid-cafe is two blocks down. She lost or somethin'?"

Otose elbowed him in the stomach and he coughed out all the air in his lungs.

"This is Tama. I'm hiring her to watch over the building and do some cleaning around here."

Gintoki and Catherine looked at the fragile girl with skepticism. Gintoki, for one, asked himself if he would ever get to live in a normal place with normal people. Considering the lunatics that had piled up over the years, it seemed all he had ever done was trade one dump for another. As for Catherine, who knew what went on inside her head. She smacked her lips in distaste and shook her head, doubting the girl's aptitude for the task. Catherine wouldn't be the first nor the last idiot on the planet to judge someone on their appearance.

"I know who broke the mail boxes, Catherine. No need trying to fool me, you snoop! You have until the end of next week to pay me the repairs or from now on I'll have your correspondence undergo my scrutiny." Otose told her.

"Damn old hag..."

"I will double your rent, you ungrateful child!"

Catherine stomped away to her apartment in resignation, leaving Tama and Otose by Gintoki's door.

"And you," Otose turned to Gintoki "Behave."

Gintoki scoffed.

"Otose-sama?" Tama's soft voice prevented any silence to establish between them.

"Oh yes Tama, come with me. I'll show you how this hell hole runs."

Gintoki wished she had left him the bottle.

* * *

><p>8 YEARS AGO<p>

It was the clearest morning in weeks, the foulness of the district fought against the pristine air to utter defeat and the early hours invited a chill breeze. Otose lit her first cigarette of the day with guilt, its smoke a sin to the blue skies above. Her spirits were high. She could always count on nature to please her, since humanity and it's degrading tiresome ways drained her on a daily basis. A long day of nitwit costumers and drunks awaited her.

Outside the streets were shrouded in darkness, ushered in the shadows of the district. By the time she got to the bar she hadn't crossed paths with a single soul. She entered through the back and closed the door behind her, eager to shelter from the cold. She busied herself with the store ledger and finished the previous month's accounting before opening hours fell upon her.

A strange shape by the front door caught her attention as she tidied up her bookkeeping. She glanced at the clock above the liquor shelves and grumbled. Her bar was no discount supermarket to secure a queue before hours, what the hell could it be? She unlocked the front door and peeked at the crouched figure on her storefront. She recognized the silver hair at once.

"For a moment I thought they had forgotten to take out the trash." she jested. Gintoki didn't reply. A stench of alcohol and smoke hit Otose's nostrils before she could infer anything further.

"Oi, Gintoki." she called his name hoping to get a reaction but it was in vain. Gintoki remained silent, head cast down, knees against his chest and hands deep into the pockets of his hoodie. A low, miserable moan came after a few more attempts at getting his attention. Otose exhaled. At least he wasn't dead.

"Get up and do yourself a favor," she said, pulling the collar of her kimono tightly around her neck "You must be freezing."

Gintoki's eloquence was below zero. He replied with a grunt and nestled closer to the storefront, resolute in escaping the cold in his own pitiful way.

"Gintoki, you are not sleeping on my front." Otose's statement filled her with determination. She stooped down, put one of his arms around her neck and brought him inside in a wobbly pace, struggling with his uncoordinated limbs which weighted more than a lady her age should burden herself with. She managed to seat him at a table in the back where he could have some privacy until he regained his bearings. Meanwhile, she went to prepare some snacks and open house.

Two customers had been served before Gintoki voiced his first string of coherent words. Otose brought him a glass of water and a plate of food and admonished him to eat.

The business was as calm as it ever was before lunch hours, functioning more like a tea shop than an actual bar. Her early customers tended to be people looking for a temporary retreat from the morning rush or retired old geezers acting as clogs in a machine they didn't belong to anymore. Thus reassured, Otose took a seat opposite Gintoki and kept an eye on the shop while examining her troublesome stray at leisure.

He was a mess. Otose could only guess the time he had spent out in the streets, sniveling and retching whatever contents had sought to stay inside his stomach, but his pink face derived from more than just the biting cold. Something must have happened to send him reeling through every joint that ever sold a beer. The smell of nicotine and cheap perfume told her as much. His eyes were red and swollen and his brows hung so low they might fall over. The occasional sniff and backhand nose wipe composed the perfect picture of misery, if not the coming of a serious cold. Perhaps Otose should have brought him a hot cup of tea as well.

"You have anything you want to say?" she asked him as he finished his plate.

Gintoki gulped down one last mouthful before meeting her eye.

"Thanks." he said in a rasping tone.

"You have rice on your chin, what are you? A five year old?" Otose chided, sensible to a fault. Gintoki wiped it off with a groan.

"Am I getting any explanation for this?" she asked him, though it might have been a question put to anyone listening "The last time I saw you like this was after a funeral."

The last word caught Gintoki's attention.

"No one died" he answered, head cast down.

Otose took out her cigarette pack. Unearthing Gintoki's purpose there was going to take a while so she might as well have a smoke. However, as soon as she flicked her lighter he called her out.

"Don't, not right now!" he pleaded. Otose stared at him, her thumb still on the flint wheel.

"Can't I smoke in my own shop?"

Gintoki's elbows found the table and he buried his head in his hands.

"It's complicated." he muttered.

"I hope you didn't get a girl pregnant, I can't help you with that." Otose said, feeling for the source of the problem. Few things could reduce Gintoki to this and Otose had no recollection of him forming any special attachment since Shoyo's death four years ago. Gintoki was known throughout the district as a jack-of-all-trades, but she knew his social circle to be small and the people who shared his trust few. There had to be some secret she wasn't aware of.

"No," he said "But I need you to help me with something."

"I knew that already." replied Otose compassionately. It only irked her that it had taken him so long to ask for it.

"I can't go back there," Gintoki said leaning back "I'm leaving and I need a new place to stay."

Otose didn't reply. The vacant apartment at her building sprang to mind, but she worried about Gintoki's reasons to leave the dorm. It seemed a sudden decision with no explanation whatsoever. Besides, the abrupt idea had to be connected with his latest drunken prowl.

"I can't get you anything cheaper than that shabby room you have." she told him.

"That doesn't matter, I'll pay." he insisted.

"With what? Pebbles?"

"Work, I'll work harder." Gintoki replied stubbornly.

Otose narrowed her eyes, skeptic.

"What about school? Who's going to pay for that?"

Gintoki's grim features softened for the first time and he smiled.

"I tried to keep that up but it didn't work, did it? It's time to let that go," he said as if bidding goodbye "I'm letting Sensei rest."

"He would have wanted you to finish your studies," Otose said gravely "Not give them up so you could get out of that shitty dorm on a whim"

Her mouth was a thin line, compressed and irresolute. Gintoki fell back into silence, which was odd. She expected him to fuss and roar about it until she complied.

"So it _is_ a whim." she said with a slight emphasis, hoping to lay him a trap. Gintoki took it bait and hook.

"It's not a whim!" he exclaimed "I just can't go back there!"

"And how many times do you think I've heard you say that, Gintoki?" Otose replied patiently.

"This time I mean it!"

"You meant it when Takasugi left" she reminded him. Gintoki grunted and ran a desperate hand over his hair.

"Well, he left before I did," Gintoki reasoned, playing with the hem of his sleeve "And I don't grudge him that, I was piss poor at the time"

"You're piss poor now" Otose muttered between gritted teeth.

"Not that poor!"

"Gintoki, I have customers," she said, glancing at an elderly couple that had just come in "Go home and take a shower, I don't have time to sit here indulging your hangover babbling"

"Wait." Gintoki rose after her, grabbing her arm. Otose sat back down, her patience running out.

"I can't pay that room anymore," he said "My roommate left, now it's _empty._"

"So what? Get a new roommate, that was never a problem for you. You even let that big foreign weirdo stay there..." Otose lost the rest of her words. Gintoki had his gaze fixed on the empty plates in front of him, aloof and distant. An experienced bartender would say his heart was broken. A mother would cast the thought aside and protect her child. Otose had to stuck with disciplining her strays.

"So it's not about the money?"

"No. I just need to get out of there." Gintoki nodded.

Otose flicked her lighter, sending Gintoki a glare not to disturb her smoking again.

"Who was your roommate?" she asked after inhaling "That kid with the blue eyes, right? He wasn't from these parts, was he?"

Gintoki shrugged.

"You can drop the act, Gintoki. Didn't you spend last summer with him? I remember you going around telling Otae's little brother all about the bullet train and the farms. The southern country isn't that bad-"

"What does it matter," Gintoki snapped, unable to prevent a loud sniff "Can you get me a place or not?"

Otose put down the cigarette. Only the tip burned.

"Come by after hours with your things," she told him "and wipe that ugly look off your face. People will think I'm running a charity here."

(*****)

* * *

><p>AN: I had to cut this chapter short because I didn't think the rest would fit in very well with the overall mood. Also, beware of the timeline. I did jump a bit forward in this flashback. As you can see, things are unraveling slowly and there's a few turning points in Gintoki and Hijikata's past I'll be revealing soon. Please bear with me. Thank you so much for reading and leaving encouraging reviews! To <strong>Skyhana<strong> and the **kind Anon** (you are not a prick! I really appreciate your words! thank you!) I'll keep your thoughts in mind, even though I'm not one for littering the text with description, I know that sometimes I get too caught up with every other aspect of the story and forget the simple things. I'll do the best I can to improve my writing and update soon!


	7. Rules Are Meant To Not Be Broken

Disclaimer: What the hell is wrong with Sorachi, what did we ever do to him to deserve all this pain?

NOTE ON THE TEXT: (*) means end of flashback.

* * *

><p>How Fools Fall In Love<p>

Chapter 7: Rules Are Meant To Not Be Broken

* * *

><p>It wasn't often that Kagura arrived home alone, banged the front door shut and locked herself in the bedroom. Gintoki didn't like to acknowledge any behavior that might signal her impending puberty. He had faith her real father would show up before then and that he, Saint Gintoki, would be spared the agony of suffering another teenage maelstrom in his life. Kagura's strange mood could only be explained by one of two things: she was jealous of something a rich kid had that she hadn't, or she had done some irreparable stupid thing that had cost her her reputation at elementary school. Gintoki entertained these two possibilities till Otae came in huffing and puffing after Kagura, almost destroying what was left of the front door following Kagura's initial strike.<p>

"I'm gonna kill that girl..." Otae muttered angrily under her breath. Her blood boiled and her nostrils flared. Her shoes had slid off her feet with such ease they might as well have melted.

Gintoki thought it wise to divest himself from his sluggish position on the couch, not wanting to fuel Otae's anger or give her any reason to shift her rage towards him. He kept his eyes glued to the TV screen and let her pace a few minutes in front of the bedroom while she cooled off. The few threats that escaped her mouth made his skin crawl. He pitied Kagura.

"Tomorrow you are coming with me to apologize to every single one of them! Their mothers too! Don't you think I won't hold you to it!" Otae sat down beside Gintoki after her ultimatum and glared at the center table in front of them.

"You're not gonna offer me anything to drink?"

Gintoki looked around in search of a miraculous secret cabinet where he might stash his booze but there was nothing of the sort. He shrugged his shoulders and changed channels.

"There's tap water." he mumbled.

"Then get me some tea," Otae replied, nodding towards the kitchen "Come on, move it!"

Gintoki got up with a heavy sigh and went to put the kettle on. Once up and about, he was more than glad at not having to share any proximity with the eldest Shimura. Her bad temper didn't agree well with his bowels, nor with his headache. He ought to call Shinpachi to take her away but he knew Otae wouldn't leave without giving him a piece of her mind. Whether Gintoki wanted to or not, he would not rest today before getting the full account of Kagura's misdeeds. And then some.

"It's all your fault, you know? Kids follow the example of their parents, she sees the miserable excuse you are for a human being and thinks it's okay. She just follows suit!" Otae began agitated, holding the TV remote with a crushing grip "It's not the first time I've gone to pick her up and found her fighting with the other kids, and it's certainly not the first time I've been mistaken for her mother, which I'm not! I'm not even twenty-six yet! I already have Shin-chan to worry about! I've gone through all this before with him and he wasn't even half the trouble she is." Otae took a pause to breathe and touch-up her makeup.

Gintoki's ears were full of wax. He focused on the bubbling sounds coming from the kettle, wondering if he should bring Kagura some tea as well.

"If I hadn't been there today I wouldn't insist on going tomorrow to apologize to the other moms, but you should know it falls on you! It's you who decided to keep her and be her guardian while her good-for-nothing father disappears whenever the hell he wants," Otae continued, putting her small makeup kit back in her bag "I don't even know how you get yourself mixed up in these things."

The wrinkles in Otae's forehead disappeared as Gintoki brought her the tea. She took a cup and sipped with eyes shut, desperate to regain back her composure. She was silent for a few minutes, drinking away. When she cleared her throat and spoke again, Gintoki was happy to hear her calling him by his name. The worst was over.

"Gin-san, I hope you have listened to everything I said. Please go talk to her and tell her she has to come to school tomorrow and apologize. It's what a lady should do," she put down her cup and stood up "I have to go now."

Gintoki followed her to the front door eager to see her out.

"Ah, Shinpachi said to tell you he won't be coming this week because he has to study for his tests."

"Sure." Gintoki nodded reluctantly. Otae wouldn't be Otae without impositions. He was about to close the door on her face when she held it back, her grip like a steel claw.

"I'm counting on you, Gin-san." were her last words before leaving.

It took all Gintoki had not to break what remained of his front door. He stomped back into his apartment dying for a distraction. He had one waiting for him, pigtails and all, orbiting the tea tray and snacks.

"Oi, oi, o-oi," Gintoki's voice quivered "You gotta be kidding me, get your hands off!"

"B-but... Gin-chan..." Kagura turned her best puppy eyes towards him, a move hard to ward off.

"What have you done now? I told you to ask the other kids first if you wanted their lunch." Gintoki moaned tiredly. He buried himself in the couch and filled his mouth with a handful of tea snacks. His voice was hoarse and the disappointment ringing in it made Kagura hunch her back. She poked a salty cracker with her finger, head bent down in shame.

"Doesn't look like anything good," Gintoki said. Kagura was silent.

"Want me to take you to school tomorrow? Shinpachi can't go. He's too busy studying." Gintoki had to hold back clicking his tongue. Kagura nodded meekly.

He took a deep breath, not knowing what to do or say. He hated seeing Kagura quiet and unreceptive. He would have been fine with a shrug, screaming, hair-pulling. Anything.

"You shut yourself there awhile," he tried again, alluding to her previous bedroom retreat "Have you done your homework at least? Otae is gonna kill you _and_ me if you don't."

Kagura poked a hole in the cracker and shook her head.

"Then get on with it and spare us another go from the gorilla woman."

Kagura shook her head. Gintoki groaned.

"It's either that or spilling it out."

Kagura shook her head again.

"Neither of those options include playing with your food, oi!" Gintoki scolded and pulled back the plate of crumbling crackers. Kagura crossed her arms defiantly and looked the other way. Some of Gintoki's stubbornness had rubbed off on her alright.

"Fine!" he rubbed the back of his neck, distressed with his lack of options. His own inadequacy weighted on him and he cursed the day he had allowed this impromptu-family arrangement to happen. He only had one choice left at this point.

"Stay here, I'm gonna call Mitsuba-"

"NOOOO-!" Kagura lunged for his legs as he walked past her. Her weight threw him off and Gintoki fell face first onto the floor. A surge of pain added to his already nagging headache and he howled in misery, clutching his face.

"Gin-chan! Gin-chan! No! Not her! Noo, NO!" Kagura begged at his feet, her whole body entwined in his legs. He had to pushed her off with his free hand, mumbling whatever comforting words he could.

"Ohfkaywewonthgow-Kagulah, Kagulah, KAGURA!"

"Please don't take me there, Gin-chan! I'll do anything! I'll apologize to Anego! I'll eat all the crackers! I'll do my homework! Please not there!" Kagura swore by his knee, drool staining his pants.

"Okay, we won't go there. Just get off, go eat the crackers!"

Gintoki managed to get Kagura off him with his last order. She crawled back to the couch and wiped her snot and tears before beginning her busy chewing. Gintoki stumbled back up and noticed a trail of red on the back of his hand. His nose was bleeding.

"Shit."

"Bad word!" Kagura said in alarm, pointing the TV remote at him. Gintoki rolled his eyes and grunted, happy at least she was back to her usual self.

"I think I broke it." he mumbled, touching his nose lightly.

"I'm sorry Gin-chan." Kagura apologized. She set down the empty plate of crackers on the table and hugged him by the waist "I'll call Shinpa-"

"No, it's okay" Gintoki stopped her. He would rather die and have his nose fall off than bother another Shimura with their problems today. Yet, he didn't have much at home to fix a broken nose other than tap water, and going to the old hag was out of the question. Gintoki could still feel the mental hangover from _that_ conversation.

"We're going out," he decided "The tea's gone cold any way."

Tama was sweeping the landing floor when Gintoki and Kagura went out. Her dedication baffling. She wore her maid attire as pristine and neat as the first time Gintoki had laid eyes on it, her green braid shone in the sunlight and not a drop of sweat glistened above her brow. She was the poster girl for duty and innocence, sure to make another dent on Gintoki's soft side. He couldn't be wary enough of her. He feared being a pure clean freak wasn't the only task Otose had entrusted her with.

"Hello, Kagura-chan, Gin-san! Oh-!" Tama's peaceful expression turned to worry once she noticed Gintoki's red nose "What happened to your face? You're bleeding. There's a stain on your shirt, I can wash it-"

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I'll take care of it." he brushed her off and made it straight for the stairs.

"I can help if you-"

"No, we are late for my appointment with the vet." he replied, swiftly disappearing behind the stairs. Kagura followed close behind him, looking over her shoulder in the direction of Mitsuba's front door.

"Shut up you idiot, she's gonna hear us!" Kagura whispered by his ear, pulling him down by his hoodie.

Tama followed both of them out of the building, eager to be of service yet bereft of any opportunity. They left before exchanging another word. Sadaharu came to sit beside her, sad to see his owner go without so much as a pat on the head. Tama caressed his fur pitifully, letting out a sigh.

"Otose-sama won't like this."

* * *

><p>Ikumatsu's shop was closed while the staff kept busy in the kitchen preparing for dinner time. She met Gintoki and Kagura by the front and welcomed them in with a big scowl, which was only forgotten on account of Gintoki's somewhat disfigured face.<p>

"This is a ramen shop, not a hospital." Ikumatsu told him bluntly.

"Kagura was hungry." Gintoki replied, confident in his pretext.

"I think I'm gonna die.." Kagura said with a melodramatic swoon. No self-respectable adult would have ignored the plight of such a cute little girl, Ikumatsu included. She gave both idiots a faint smile and let them in.

"They're almost done back there, I'll tell them to bring you a bowl." Ikumatsu said while helping Kagura sit at the counter stool. Kagura grinned in return and swung her legs happily from the tall seat.

"Now you come with me." Ikumatsu led Gintoki to a back room and brought out the first-aid kit from the kitchen "Can't remember the last time I saw you around here," she said with a tinge of amusement "What happened?"

"Kagura tackled me and I fell. Your place was the nearest cheapest thing." Gintoki said, averting his eyes.

"Let me look at this then." Ikumatsu tilted his chin up, forcing him to look her way. His stubble grazed her fingertips.

Ikumatsu was an attractive woman. Pleasing face, blond hair, nice eyes. Even her nature recommended her: polite, hardworking, caring. Gintoki couldn't fathom how Katsura had even stumbled upon her in his shady reclusive life. It seemed a waste to have a woman like her tied to a ramen shop, sweating day and night to feed the useless pigs of the town and burning brain cells listening to Katsura's crazy ramblings. Nevertheless, every pore of her seemed content and Gintoki couldn't pinpoint a single day when she had looked anything but at peace. He envied her more than he might lust after her. And he loathed the fact she might perceive that. Her honest, clear gaze pierced through him. He already regretted coming to her for the patch-up.

"It's not bad, I'll just clean the blood and give you something for the swelling. This might sting." she warned.

Gintoki winced as she applied a cold compress to his battered nose. He hissed at the contact but soon the coolness gave him relief.

"I expect a hot bowl after all this suffering you're putting me through." he grumbled.

"Don't push it, even my employees are starting to resent your tab." she reproached him, applying a bit more pressure than needed. Gintoki yelped.

"Alright! I think it's fine now!"

Blame Ikumatsu's good heart, another bowl of steaming hot ramen was brought from the kitchen and put on the counter. Gintoki sat beside Kagura with a grunt, her own bowl already finished and licked.

"Gin-chan I'm sorry for fighting with the other kids. I'm sorry for everything. I didn't mean to hurt you." Kagura mumbled gloomily. Gintoki looked at her from the corner of his eye while blowing the steam off his ramen. She seemed repentant enough.

"You're still going to school tomorrow and you're gonna apologize 'cause that's what a lady does, or whatever." Gintoki told her, echoing Otae's words. He noticed Ikumatsu watching them from the kitchen entrance and color rose to his cheeks "Just do as Otae says, ok?"

"Yeah." Kagura nodded.

Gintoki finished his ramen in silence while Kagura went to help Ikumatsu open shop.

"Sorry for the trouble," he told the older woman when she came to take his empty bowl "And thank you. I'll pay you back."

Ikumatsu stopped a moment to think.

"Would you mind doing me a favor then?"

"Does it have anything to do with Zura?" Gintoki replied dryly "'Cause if it has then I'd rather not."

"He forgot a few things last time he was here. I think they are important, let me go get them."

Gintoki stayed rooted to his spot, trying to ignore the itch on his nose. He had lied to himself thinking he could leave the place without getting involved in one of Zura's predicaments. Ikumatsu returned with a leather bag filled with papers and books. She handed it over to him and Gintoki almost let it fall to the ground unaware of its weight.

"The hell is this?!" he exclaimed, swinging the strap over his shoulder.

"Work I expect. He's been holed up at college all week and I've been too busy to go there. Please take it to him, it might be important."

Gintoki nodded and reassured her he would go after she forced him to promise on it.

"And don't be angry at Kagura-chan, she's just a girl after all." Ikumatsu added with a smile.

Gintoki frowned confused and saw Ikumtasu give him a wink before resuming her work. He had definitely missed something.

While he contemplated the meaning of Ikumatsu's words on the sidewalk, Kagura was already marching her way home a dozen feet away. Her good spirits had returned after gobbling down Ikumatsu's ramen and, Gintoki suspected, having Ikumatu lend her an understanding ear. She was skipping down the street, no awareness or worry, when she bumped into a tall brooding figure.

"Oi! Watch where you're goin-!" she stopped her fussing when she recognized the face above hers "It's Garbage-san!"

Gintoki heard enough words to catch his attention but it was only when he looked in Kagura's direction that he submitted to the situation completely. Hijikata did that to him always, against his will.

"We have nothing for you today, Trashman." Gintoki blurted out. The contrast was too much for him to handle at the moment. Hijikata in his sharp suit, straight out of his big-shot police office, going home to his fancy apartment, filled with fancy furniture and the fancy view. Gintoki wanted to hurl. The stubble on his own face, which hadn't bothered him ten minutes ago, felt like it was consuming his flesh. His swollen nose, considered a national catastrophe by now, throbbed and ached for a bag of ice; his whole body request a heavy dosage of pain killers to assuage his existence. To add up, Gintoki had the unfortunate impulse of looking at a passing car and saw his reflection on the shiny windows. His confidence plummeted to the ends of the Earth.

"Did she fix it for you?" Hijikata asked. Gintoki turned to him with a furrowed brow. He had been expecting a jab or a sneer. He barely got the question.

"What?"

"_Her_." Hijikata answered, nodding in the direction of Ikumatsu's shop.

"Yeah." Gintoki replied absentmindedly.

"Couldn't get through the door, uh?" Hijikata joked and took a long drag on his cigarette.

There it was, the jab. Gintoki couldn't help snorting. It suited Hijikata better than some half-assed inquiry after his health. Gintoki was surprised he even remembered Ikumatsu at all.

"What a laugh, right?" Gintoki wanted to smile but his self-consciousness stopped him.

"You're always pretty much a laugh."

"And you always walk over to this part of town for a laugh?" Gintoki gave himself a mental pat on the back for the comment, his lips turned up smugly, but Hijikata's stunted reaction undid his merry boost. A burning iron seared his gut.

"I-I went to check on Mitsuba, heard she was sick." Hijikata replied, anxious to get rid of his flush.

"Guess we're all cursed on this side of the rainbow." Gintoki said somberly, the butterflies in his stomach dissipating. Kagura tugged on his arm more keenly now and Gintoki took after her.

"Time doesn't stop for the kids," he said "See ya."

"Bye Garbage-san!"

Gintoki resumed his walk, following Kagura's eager steps home, but a hand pulled him back. Gintoki's nose twitched painfully with the sudden turn. Hijikata's clear blue eyes zoomed closer.

"Is she..."

Their bodies were in close contact. If Gintoki looked down he could probably peer down Hijikata's shirt collar and catch a glimpse of the smooth perfumed skin underneath. But most of what he saw was Hijikata's grip on his forearm and most of what he smelled was smoke. He didn't even register his words. The butterflies made a sterling comeback.

"What did you say?" Gintoki's voice was barely audible. His eyes went up and met Hijikata's and for a second the world stopped. Hijikata's stare lowered and so did his. Gintoki licked his lips in anticipation, a breath caught in his throat.

"Nevermind." Hijikata shrugged and pulled back, leaving Gintoki standing still against the wind.

* * *

><p>The bedroom went dark after Kagura switched off the lights. She hopped over to her futon next to Gintoki's and dove under the covers. He was already lying down with an ice pack on his nose, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in.<p>

"Can I get an ice pack too?" Kagura asked.

"What for? You think you'll need one for tomorrow after Otae gets you from school?" Gintoki rambled. He always did so when he was unsettled.

"No, it just looks fun." Kagura replied with a pout.

"I'll let you play with this one when I'm done with it."

"No way! It's gonna be all smelly and dirty!"

"And watery."

"And watery!" Kagura repeated after him.

"Kinda defeats the point then, doesn't it?"

"Gin-chan?"

Gintoki hummed in reply, noticing Kagura's change of tone.

"Are you still angry with me?"

"About what?"

"Your nose. I'm-"

"No. Just go to sleep. My nose won't heal if you keep apologizing to it."

"But you've been weird." Kagura complained.

"Me weird?" Gintoki scoffed "You're the one going crazy at school and running from Otae. I thought you had a death wish when I saw you rushing in this morning."

Kagura fell silent.

Gintoki cleared his throat to get rid of the guilt. He had no way to tell her the real reason why he was tenser than usual. He loathed to even admit it but he couldn't handle the paranoia permeating the afternoon's turn of events. Namely the secondhand smoking that followed the swollen nose and the bowl of free ramen. It had been too close an encounter.

"Are you going to tell me what happened or what?" Gintoki said, desperate to end the subject.

"Okay..." Kagura mumbled, pulling the covers up to her nose "The kids at school were making fun of me."

"So? Did you make fun of them back?" Gintoki replied, his logic pretty solid.

"No."

"Why not? What did they say?"

Kagura groaned and hid her head under the pillow. Gintoki felt his eyelids growing heavy. He was too tired to argue. Kagura's elementary school skirmish floated aimlessly in his mind.

"They said a boy likes me."

Gintoki's eyes jolted open with surprise. The dark room lightened somehow. Gintoki had to contain a laugh and a frown at the same time. He shifted to look at Kagura but he could only distinguish a lump in her futon. Her shyness amused him.

"So what?" he replied nonchalantly. Kagura's head resurfaced.

"I don't like him!" she declared offended "I hate him!"

"Good. Then that's the end of that." Gintoki stated. The lesser deal they made of it the better. He didn't want Kagura to obsess over it and drive everyone insane. Besides, he felt a bit embarrassed having this kind of talk with a nine year old.

"But I really really really really really don't like him, Gin-chan!" Kagura insisted. She had left her cocoon in the covers and crawled over to Gintoki's futon "Why did they say that? Can I send Sadaharu after them? They deserve it!"

"Oioioi, Princess Mononoke are you going to school to apologize or to terrorize them?" Gintoki wondered outraged "Don't worry about it, after Otae goes there tomorrow they won't pick on you again."

"Will Anego protect me?" Kagura's eyes shone from fighting back tears of frustration.

"Yeah. Just tell her what happened." Gintoki reasoned, though his answer begged the question: who would protect the other kids from Otae? He tried not to indulge the thought.

Kagura nodded and slunk back into her futon without further objections. Gintoki adjusted the ice pack on his nose and heaved a sigh of relief, glad to have put the elementary school drama to rest. He closed his eyes ready to sleep but a couple of obtrusive recollections prevented him. A new light shone upon little snippets of his day and he was forced to reconsider the whole thing. Ikumatsu's comment for starters. It was obvious Kagura had told her the reason why she had been fighting at school. Maybe she had even told her who the boy in question was. The whole outburst over Mitsuba's made sense now too. Kagura wouldn't want to mention it in front of her demonic rival, Okita Sougo. He would have had ammunition against her for ages, she would be old and wrinkly before he finally stopped picking on her and Gintoki would have taken the brunt of it. He could barely believe the amount of trouble he had evaded. Or maybe, maybe Okita was...

"_No._" The thought was so disturbing Gintoki rejected it aloud.

"Gin-chan shut up, bad dreams aren't real."

"No they aren't, right Kagura-chan? Right? _Right_? _Right_?"

Kagura snored.

Gintoki's thoughts inevitably spiraled down to his own messy life and he fell asleep wishing solutions came as easy for him as they did for Kagura.

* * *

><p>9 YEARS AND 3 MONTHS AGO<p>

Midday and the dorm was empty. Gintoki had returned from another quick job he had promised Hasegawa's wife, done more out of sympathy than anything else. He trudged towards the kitchen and nicked two cans of beer from the communal fridge, private property be damned. He deserved them.

The vacant living room tempted him and he plastered himself in front of the TV enjoying his solitude. His stomach growled with hunger but his sore muscles rooted him to the floor. Being alone had its disadvantages. His eyes fixed on the screen, glassy and out of focus, while his pricked ears sounded the house for any movement. No unfortunate soul turned up for him to lord over, but he heard noises upstairs. They came from his room. Gintoki scratched his chin in deliberation, wondering what the hell Hijikata was doing back so early.

His curiosity led him upstairs, hunger forgotten. He could do with a bit of banter at the moment to dispel the boredom.

"They kicked you out of college yet? I have a spare beer I might be persuaded to share- what the hell?" Gintoki's taunt fell on dumb ears. His jaw clenched and his brows furrowed.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, you sick woman!?"

It had been a while since Sarutobi Ayame had made an appearance at the dorm, at least to Gintoki's knowledge. After the last three hundred times he had caught her snooping around in his room, he had specifically asked Zenzou to warn him in advance whenever she followed him home.

"Ah! Gin-san~ I didn't see you there, how embarrassing!" she whimpered. She was sprawled over Gintoki's futon in the same position he had caught her smelling his sheets. He regretted not having stored his futon back in the closet earlier, but riling Hijikata with his lack of tidiness had won him over.

"Get out." Gintoki ordered. He walked over to her, willing to drag her out if necessary. A moan stuck in Sacchan's throat at his commanding voice.

"Oh no~ Gin-san!"

"Let it go." Gintoki kicked his pillow away and pulled back the sheets she was clinging onto.

"No way! I've never been this close to Gin-san's drool before, you can't make me!" she cried out desperately with a smile on her face.

"Oh can't I? Can't I?" Gintoki sneered, his anger boiling.

"Yes you can! Make me! Make me!" Sacchan yelled in ecstasy. The sheets slid between her thighs and she squeezed her legs enjoying the friction.

"You fucking pervert, let go!" Gintoki gave the sheets a fierce tug but Sacchan persisted, moaning in response.

"Harder! Harder!"

Gintoki towed her by the sheets around the room, panic and rage firing him up. Her noises were beginning to fog his judgment and his hormones clogged his system. He looked down at her and saw her skirt had creased up, showing her panties. He threw his head back in despair.

"This isn't happening! Fuck off!"

He tripped on the mattress and lost his balance, bringing Sacchan down with him. They were in a compromising position, disheveled clothes and sheets between them, when Hijikata walked in. For a second Gintoki thought it was Zenzou coming to save him from his crazy deviant childhood friend but Hijikata was a million times worse. It didn't even compute in Gintoki's brain at first, nor did he see his face. He had a pair of breasts obstructing his view.

"Hattori!? Don't just fucking stand there, help me! Take this freak off me!" Gintoki exclaimed. He dodged a boob to the face and then he saw it, Hijikata's pale white face of stupefaction. Gintoki froze completely, his voice vanished. Sacchan noticed him go quiet and turned around in annoyance.

"Can't you see we're busy here?! Go away-!" she stopped mid-sentence once she acknowledged the stranger "Gin-san, who is this?"

His brain ignored the question. He had his eyes lost in Hijikata's stone cold gaze and his heartbeat drummed deafeningly without reason.

"I own half this room. You have one minute." Hijikata declared. His tone chilled the room and he stepped out to give them what privacy they had left.

Sacchan stood up with a pout and straightened her skirt, her face red with fury. She didn't do shame.

"The fuck is it with him? How can you put up with this, Gin-san? I thought you were a sadist not a maso-"

Gintoki shoved her towards the door before her big mouth could do more damage. But she fought against him, digging her heels on the tatami floor.

"Ah, Gin-san, not so rough~"

"Just go back to the hole you crawled from, fucking perv! Get out!" Gintoki gave her shoulders one last push and she was out. He closed the door behind her and lent his back against it for good measure.

He stood a while trying to catch his breath, his dignity waning. The last few minutes replayed in a blur. Hijikata's upset face was the only thing clear in his head. Anger and remorse ate Gintoki's insides. He hated it. Then the sounds of a flushing toilet were heard resonating through the dorm, announcing Zenzou's long-awaited departure from the bathroom. A dozen veins popped in Gintoki's forehead. He wanted to kill the bastard for letting that deranged lunatic roam the house freely. While Gintoki had been in his room fighting for his life, the suffering fool had been in the crapper, most definitely reading Jump and contemplating the spams of his rectum.

"That fucking bastard." Gintoki muttered, rubbing the strain off his eyes.

"That's my line, dumbass!" Hijikata came storming in, this time throwing his heavy school bag directly into Gintoki's gut and staggering him. Gintoki would've replied something nasty in return but the blow drove all the air out of his lungs.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Bringing a girl in here?! To our room? MY room? You know the rules, asshole!"

"That's rich... coming from you," Gintoki said, panting "We agreed about smoking too, but that doesn't stop your stupid ass from smoking all over the place! You think I don't notice, oi?!"

"You're really comparing smoking to stuff like _that_!?" Hijikata exclaimed, pointing a finger towards Gintoki's futon in accusation. A slight blush rose to his face.

"It's not my fault!" Gintoki shouted in his own defense. He didn't even know why he felt so guilty. "Zenzou was the one who brought her! I thought no one was home and then I found her here, she's like a stalker or something-"

"You're not even denying it!" Hijikata cut him off.

"Why would I?! Nothing happened, so calm the fuck down Vegeta, your whining is draining my life force." Gintoki replied. He just wanted to forget the whole thing.

"My what?" Hijikata whispered in disbelief "_No_."

Gintoki had his back turned when Hijikata seized his forearm and pushed him against the wall. He had grabbed him so violently Gintoki heard his shirt rip where it met the sleeve.

"Shit! Are you fucking crazy? Look what you did to my shirt-!?"

"No more girls here, you hear me."

Gintoki heard him alright. He saw more than he heard though, given the sudden proximity. He lifted his eyes from the hole in his shirt up towards Hijikata's stern face. The blush had gone from his cheeks and his intense stare dug straight into Gintoki's soul. He hoped the wall swallowed him before Hijikata's hostility did.

Hope wasn't Gintoki's strong suit.

"Just us boys then." he said.

Hijikata's frown deepened, his fists curled and Gintoki expected him to aim one at his face at any moment. However, Hijikata's lips were closer and Gintoki's eyes couldn't pull away. He placed his hands gently on Hijikata's wrists and leaned in, led by Hijikata's stillness. Perhaps he was just as stunned as Gintoki was, just as insane. Some part of Gintoki blamed the hormonal surge Sacchan's advances had unleashed in him before, some part knew exactly what was happening.

A knock at the door made both of them jump. They broke away from each other, relishing the distance.

"Yooo, sorry about Sarutobi. I had to go to the toilet and left her alone. I really needed to, that one couldn't be stopped and I had to get one of the old Jump issues to help me with the pain, you know, it takes my mind off it. One of the old issues with Hanger x Hanger chapters, really brings tears to my eyes that-"

"It's your painful shits that bring tears to your eyes, you fucking idiot!" Gintoki cried out. His heart still going a million miles per second.

Hijikata slipped out of the room amidst their argument.

"Is he going out already? I just heard him coming in." Zenzou wondered confused.

"He's a moody bastard."

(*****)

* * *

><p>AN: This took me the longest time, I'm so sorry! I spent a lot of time editing stuff out and pushing it to later chapters. I hope they'll turn out well. Once again there were a lot of domestic scenes in this one and I seem to be writing more about the female characters than the two main idiots. I don't think I'll apologize for that haha. As always, thank you for reading and giving me your support. It just makes it all worth it. Next chapter both Gintoki and Hijikata are gonna receive some very unsettling news.<p> 


	8. Adulthood Is Getting On With The News

Disclaimer: Sorachi does not own my ass. And I don't own his.

NOTE ON THE TEXT: (*) means end of flashback.

* * *

><p>How Fools Fall In Love<p>

Chapter 8: Adulthood Is Getting On With The News

* * *

><p>Night had fallen outside the silent apartment. Hijikata's dining table had yet to see any actual food. He sat at it with hunched shoulders, a cloud of smoke hanging over his head and papers covering the surface. Too soon had the barriers between home and office blurred in his life. An impartial judge would find no difference between the two spaces Hijikata dwelt in. Two months had passed since his move and he still had boxes stacked up high in various corners of the house. His mind could not fathom the existence of belongings. Not that he had many. His apartment functioned as his office away from the office. An arrangement he had no qualms with, considering he had nothing familiar to nurture there but work. Always work. After moving back to Tokyo it gave him peace of mind. His muddled thoughts found something to focus on and his feelings of anxiety a much needed outlet. Even if it meant a bleak life, it was imperative for him to steer away from the distractions of his personal life.<p>

A knock came at the door. Hijikata sighed with a smile. At that hour it could only be Kondo.

"Thought you could do with a drink." Kondo greeted him, a grin on his face and a pack of beer under one arm.

Hijikata nodded and let him in. He appreciated these late night visits from his friend. Whether Kondo brought them something to drink or they went out for a pricey bottle of sake, moments like this were distractions Hijikata could live with.

"Oh c'mon Toshi, look at this place. You still haven't put these away?" Kondo teased him about the stacked boxes as he walked past them towards the living room. Hijikata bit his cigarette.

"I've been busy."

"I can see that!"

Apart from the boxes, clusters of paperwork were scattered throughout the apartment, piling up in the open kitchen counter, the dining table, the center table and finally, the floor.

"Want me give you a hand?"

"No, I'll get to it. Just..." Hijikata found it hard to explain. Every time he looked at his boxed life he felt a burn in his gut. He wanted to open those boxes and find something meaningful inside. Keepsakes, mementos, possessions that he might display at home and look upon occasionally to remind himself of the good times in his life. Instead, there was only paperwork. Boxes and boxes, years and years of avoiding the real issue. How scared he was of living his life, how the only thing he had ever committed to was his work. He had no rush to change. No rush to unpack. It wouldn't even be called that. Just archiving.

"Then get on with it. How are you going to ask Mitsuba over with your place looking like this?" Kondo cut in a cheerful tone.

A spasm of reluctance went up Hijikata's spine. He could not imagine Mitsuba there. He didn't want to. He barely lived there himself. Work, eat, sleep, that was it. Bare walls, dusty surfaces, empty shelves. Hijikata couldn't be bothered with the thought of a social life. He entertained no prospects of it. Hosting was so far removed from his list of priorities he would prefer to ignore it completely.

"How is she by the way?" he asked out of politeness, ignoring the jape.

"Feeling better. Sougo came by the dojo today and told me she went to work."

"The little runt."

"He's so big now, isn't he? I remember when he was just a baby, Mitsuba didn't know what to do with him!" Kondo gave a big laugh. He sat down in the couch and took two cans of beer from the pack, handing one over to Hijikata.

"How's the dojo?"

"Going fine. My Otae keeps all the kids in order, I don't have to worry. It's like being married, hahahahaha!"

Hijikata gave him a dead look of disbelief before taking a sip.

"You should stop by one of these days. We'll have a good ol' spar."

"Sure, I bet you and your lot could do with an ass kicking." Hijikata replied with a smirk.

"You just wanna torture the poor kids, Toshi. Don't be too harsh on them."

"If you don't push them hard they won't get anywhere. Have you won any regionals lately?"

Kondo gulped down his can of beer to avoid the question. Hijikata couldn't help but snicker.

"You're too soft, I tell you. You should let the girl train them."

"I can't, the last time I left them with Otae half the class quit. She's too fiery for them."

"That's how you find those who are committed."

"Oh, most kids these days don't commit. Their parents want them to learn the traditions but the kids just want to copy the heroes of their favorite mangas. I catch them sometimes on the backyard yelling 'bankai!' and all that nonsense. And it's worse when Yorozuya comes by, he likes to join and cheer them on, the bastard."

Hijikata's heart did a little somersault. He gave a nondescript grunt in reply and finished his drink.

"You have to be careful Toshi or you'll end up a sorry old wretch like him." Kondo's amicable nature softened the blow, yet Hijikata grimaced. The possibility frightened him. He hated when people brought up Gintoki in conversations. Rage just filled up his body and he didn't know who exactly it was aimed at.

"People only think he's an adult because of that little girl," Kondo carried on "Imagine that, old Yorozuya a father!" he burst out in laughter, though a compassionate one.

Hijikata managed a feeble smile, not finding the notion as ridiculous as Kondo might think. Hijikata had always known Gintoki to be good with kids, or at least prone to be surrounded by them. Even when his intentions were questionable and he took care of them for money, Hijikata couldn't deny he thrived in it. He might have made a career of babysitting if he didn't need someone to babysit _him_ as well. Hijikata snorted at his own thought.

"Have you seen them together? She's really taking after him. Always getting into fights with other kids and Sougo, I can't have the two of them together in the dojo. I don't know how Yorozuya handles them."

A lump lodged in Hijikata's throat. The previous day flew by in a flash, particularly the moment where the same lump had choked his speech and Gintoki had been so close he could still remember the warmth of his breath on his ear.

"Is she..." the question fought to escape him once again "Is she his?"

Kondo looked at him for a second, a look of confusion plastered on his face.

"The little girl? Kagura-chan? Are you asking me if she is really Gintoki's?"

Hijikata nodded.

"No way Toshi! No way!" Kondo exclaimed "He is just her guardian! Do you think any woman would bother with Yorozuya?! He's a lost cause."

Hijikata wanted to vomit the relief shooting from the bottom of his stomach. He exhaled a big puff of smoke to cover it up. He couldn't tell how many hours of sleep he had lost fretting over such a trivial matter. Who cared if Gintoki had moved on with his life? Who cared how far ahead he had gotten?

"This isn't a stupid race." Hijikata spouted, not noticing his own muttering.

"Speaking of racing," Kondo cleared his throat, overlooking Hijikata's agitation. The sudden change of tone beckoned a serious subject. Hijikata's eyes darted to his friend with apprehension. "They've finally settled on a contractor for the new building," he said solemnly "And they're gonna tear it down."

Hijikata went pale.

"The dorm?" the two words came out of his mouth but he didn't hear himself saying them. Time had stopped and was ticking backwards fast.

"Yeah," Kondo's expression lost its usual delight, the gleam in his eyes vanished "I tried to dissuade him, but Itou can be a damn stubborn prick. There was nothing I could do."

The story went like this. Some four years ago Hijikata had arrived home late, all but dead and tired from a day of street work, when the phone rang. It was Kondo. He had been trying to get in touch all evening and he had massive news which entailed Itou and the dorm. The two words together in the same sentence made Hijikata want to puke all the shitty coffee he had drunk for the past two weeks. Kondo had passed the dorm business to Itou and sold him the property so he could focus a hundred percent on the dojo. Teaching was his true calling, he'd told Hijikata in delight, baffled by the epiphany. As dismal as the business sounded, Hijikata had been happy for his friend. Kondo's happiness seemed to him an extent of his own happiness, a special perk of their bond. Hijikata had congratulated him, no further questions asked. It had been the first time in a long while someone had talked to him about the dorm. The place had stayed buried deep in his mind until then. He had made it his number one objective after leaving that he would think no more of it and yearn no more for it. He had started anew. Whatever became of the dorm had nothing to do with him and neither had the people involved. However, the conversation with Kondo had left a sour aftertaste. Hijikata still remembered how slowly he had put down the phone. How uncertain he had felt about the whole deal. Itou managing the dorm sounded like a bad joke. Nevertheless, Hijikata soon forgot about it. His life distant from everybody ran on.

Living in a wold where the dorm didn't exist had never crossed his mind. He couldn't believe he'd live to see the day.

But so it had come.

* * *

><p>9 YEARS AGO<p>

The warm night invited a smoke outside. The dark sky appeared uncommonly clear without the garish streetlights blurring its view. The ones by the road to the dorm had busted two weeks ago without any foreseeable date of repair, an outcome which Hijikata considered positive on the grand scheme of things. He could now spot a star or two if he squinted hard enough and be reminded of the endless starry mantle above the southern fields back home.

He was crouched in the backyard, leaning against the wall and enjoying the soothing spring breeze. The terrible weeds no one bothered to pluck comforted him. They weren't so distracting half hidden in darkness, with no sun bearing its sizzling rays down on them and no stale smell of hay stifling the air. The sound of footsteps reached him. He did not find it strange that someone had decided to join his peace, though the reclusive Katsura was the last person he'd expect.

A pair of socked feet in flip flops peeked out of the dorm's backdoor, followed by the rest of Katsura's body. He was decked in layers. Track pants, shirt, jacket and a soft scarf that failed to hide his undershirt. He had clearly missed the spring memo. He stepped out quietly, shoulders hunched and hair swaying as he turned his head left and right. He flinched when Hijikata spoke.

"Looking for something?"

"Didn't see you there!" Katsura gasped. He pushed back his shoulders to assume a less questionable look.

Hijikata had a brow lifted in wonder, fighting the temptation to frown at the man. The tip of his cigarette shone orange as he sucked in a breath.

"I'm looking for Gintoki actually." Katsura said. He crossed his arms and circled around the small destitute garden, hoping to find Gintoki lying somewhere in the dirt.

"Didn't see him today." Hijikata replied disinterested. What a swift way to sully his peaceful evening out.

Katsura insisted in further circles around the garden but he did not go back inside. After his fruitless search he stopped in the middle of the weeds looking in the distance. Hijikata presumed he had decided to stay to enjoy the pleasant night, no arguments necessary. He finished his smoke with a hum of contentment, his batteries completely charged.

He had gotten up, eager to stretch his legs and go to sleep, when Katsura broke his living statue performance.

"Has Gintoki been sleeping?"

Perhaps it was the careful way he asked it, as if a sole word might give away his fears, or the quick, almost imperceptible speed with which he said it, unable to gauge the right amount of emotion. Hijikata stopped, arrested by both curiosity and insult.

"What the hell are you implying, Zura?"

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura. And I'm not implying anything," he stated "Did he sleep last night?"

Once again the question fell restless on Hijikata's ears. What could he say? He didn't know half of what Gintoki did while wake, how could he know what went on when he was asleep? Hijikata was not his mother. Yet, in spite of his non-existent involvement with Gintoki's sleeping pattern, the question didn't sit right with him. Katsura had his back turned so Hijikata couldn't gather much from his expression. A gut feeling told him something was wrong.

Hijikata tried to tell himself he didn't care. It was late and he had burned the last cigarette of the pack. Getting involved would be a hassle and he could be misinterpreting the whole thing anyway. Katsura was a big fucking weirdo after all, living in a parallel universe most of the time, shut in his room and interpreting conversations in his own weird way whenever he showed up.

"Does he have nightmares or something?" Hijikata had no idea why he asked. It felt too awkward to leave without saying anything. Maybe small talk would appease Katsura and sate Hijikata's tiny, miniscule curiosity.

Katsura turned, but only halfway. Hijikata caught his stunned profile, his usual mellow expression beset by a pair of widened eyes. He was looking at something on their left. Someone had just arrived. Katsura stepped forward and called his name.

"Oi, Gintoki."

It was then Hijikata turned as well. He lost sight of Katsura to the bland night picture and focused on the source of light. Gintoki's silver curls shone and covered his eyes while the hood over his head hid the rest. He seemed to have brought a darker night with him. Murky and obscure. It ate the sounds of Katsura's feet crunching the weeds as he approached.

A tremor stirred inside Hijikata, a sense of helplessness assaulted him. He had never seen Gintoki like this. Glum. Defeated.

Then it dawned on him.

Katsura knew. He knew the reason why.

Katsura called Gintoki's name a few more times, desperate for his attention, but no response came. Gintoki brushed his hand away and kept walking towards the door. He stopped before going in, noticing Hijikata there merged with the night. Black t-shirt and dark jeans did the trick.

Hijikata felt his throat go dry. Speech temporarily erased from his brain.

Gintoki propped his forearm on the doorway, his hooded figure abnormal and intimidating. Time had slowed down to eternity, though not a minute had gone by since he'd shown up.

He turned to Hijikata, his unusual red eyes redder.

"You comin' up?"

He entered the dorm without waiting for a reply.

Hijikata gulped down the tension lodged in the back of his throat. The warm night had elapsed, a mere memory of the past. Goose bumps spread all over his skin. The spring wind blew cold. He urged Katsura for a thread, a piece of the puzzle so he could understand.

Katsura followed Gintoki with a heavy step.

"Death anniversary." was all the explanation given him.

(***)

* * *

><p>The scooter's motor revved as Gintoki drew near the college campus. He had half a mind to ditch the drop off and speed through to the other side of town, not caring whether Katsura got back his bag or not, but he had promised Ikumatsu to deliver it and thus was bound by his word. A sentimental part of him also recognized that after the last hectic couple of months he could do with a chat. It had been a while since he had seen Katsura. They had a lot to catch up on, mostly on Gintoki's predicaments since Katsura would only ramble on and on about his manuscripts and endless research about ancient history gone and done with; a fact listed under the reasons why Katsura was only bearable in small doses. However, the long intervals that separated their sporadic meetings helped keep their relationship alive. Apart from those boring conversations, Gintoki believed he might see Katsura more often were it not for his workplace. College had been written out of Gintoki's life in every way possible. Even now as he parked his scooter and walked to the main building, a sickness began to grow on his stomach. He tried to call Katsura on his mobile to get him out of his office, wherever the hell that was, but it just kept ringing. Knowing Katsura, he had probably lost it among books or forgotten it at home.<p>

A nice lady at the front desk gave Gintoki a map of the campus and pointed him in the direction of the Literature Research Department. He regretted not taking his scooter with him. By the time he got to the first step of the Liberal Arts building he could barely remember what it was to live an idle life. He had nearly walked a marathon. His chest heaved, droplets of sweat were forming near his hairline and he had a hand gripping the rail of the front steps to keep himself vertical. A pair of students passed him by giggling, health oozing out of them. Another gave him a side glance before whispering to each other. Gintoki frowned. He pulled up his collar and smelled his jumper, sniffing out for booze and sweat. It seemed alright to him, but a big hand fell on his shoulder before he could go forth.

"Hey! Yorozuya! Funny seeing you here!" Kondo's laugh boomed across miles. Gintoki's efforts to blend in and sneak around until he found Katsura, which were pretty flat to begin with, collapsed. Every student in a ten mile radius had turned their head towards them.

"Gori." Gintoki greeted him dully.

"What are you doing around here?! It's like I've gone back in time!"

Gintoki tried to overlook that whole statement, finding the quantity of connecting dots overwhelming.

"I'm here to see Zura, what the hell are _you_ doing here? The kids will think you're a parent or something."

"Hahahahahah! Always the joker," Kondo grinned "I came to have a word with the guys from the kendo club. See what I could do to help and recruit some over to our dojo," Gintoki cringed at the word 'our'. Otae would enjoy that exceedingly, to the point where he would have to start calling her The Punisher, "Then I thought, why not stop by and give Zura the news? He'll tell you all about it. I go to go now, I'm running late. Nice seeing you Yorozuya!"

Gintoki waved him goodbye without spilling another word. He didn't want to give Kondo an opportunity to stay babbling, two morons in a single day was too much for him. But his premature departure left Gintoki with a bitter taste in his mouth. Usually the gorilla man didn't have much to say of interest and Gintoki willed their conversations away, yet this time he had spoken of news and not expanded on them. It was odd to say the least.

After asking a few people for directions and following signs, Gintoki eventually found his way to Katsura's room, a small office lost in the Literature Research Department with the words _History Research Associate_ on the door.

"Oi, Zura you here?" Gintoki didn't bother to knock, he dove right in. The pooling dread in his belly returned, his sticky palm on the door handle adverted him and he closed his eyes as he opened it. Too many memories barged in. The scent of hundreds of books enclosed in a tiny space, the hum of the old computer, the echo of his footsteps consumed by the thick atmosphere of the room, so full of stuff, so full of life. When Gintoki opened his eyes he almost saw Shouyo sitting behind his desk with that eternal smile chiseled on his face. But then he blinked and Katsura popped up. His hair cut short, not long. Black, not light brown. A thin line in place of a smile.

"Gintoki?" Katsura's eyes left the computer screen and locked on Gintoki with surprise.

"I have a delivery for you," Gintoki said, pulling the leather strap over his head "Ikumatsu told me to give you this, I owed her one." he dropped the bag on Katsura's desk, dislodging a mountain of useless stationary.

"This place is worse than your old one." he observed.

"Which one?"

"The one you had before you became part of the faculty. Your nerd cave," Gintoki clarified. He pulled back the seat in front of the desk, dusted it off and sat down "I'm dead tired. I'm gonna have to stop by Ikumatsu's and demand another ramen for all the work I had just to get here. Now I get why you kinda live in this place, Zura. If I had to walk what I just did every day I would camp here. You must have a kitchen somewhere too, right? With a microwave and a fridge? I saw a dozen vending machines on my way here. You don't need anything else, trust me. You probably even have showers, and if you don't you can go without for a few days until you feel strong enough for a stroll to the bath house. Forget the mold and the stuffy smell, I'd live here. You don't even have to pay rent-"

"Gintoki, we don't have showers," the quiet man interrupted him. He leaned back on his chair, deducing Gintoki had come for more than a delivery given his chatty mood. "I've a lot of work to do, I'm preparing a lecture for tomorrow so thanks for bringing this back", he pointed towards the bag and then started shuffling through it "I was actually looking for these!" he exclaimed with a comical degree of seriousness "Why didn't you bring it before, Gintoki? Are you an idiot? You should have called me!"

"Oi, oi, are you joking me?!" Gintoki sneered "I did try to call you but do you have your phone with you?" he answered before Katsura could search his pockets "No! Of course you haven't. And I didn't bring it before because I was busy! With life! My life!"

Katsura kept searching his pockets for his phone without success. Instead of admitting defeat he changed subjects.

"What life? Reruns of One Piece? Didn't you buy the DVD set a while ago? I saw you leaving the store-"

"What? Are you my stalker now? Piss off, Zura. And no, I wasn't busy with One Piece. I'm not even rewatching Luffy-kun at the moment. Didn't you know? Goku is back. I'm rewatching the good old Dragon Balls-"

"Please Gintoki," Katsura sighed "You're so predictable, even in your choice of entertainment."

"Whatever!"

"So what do you want? I don't even need to explain how shocking it is to find you here. I think it's the first time you visited me here," Katsura said, a sudden solemn silence rose all around them "How does it feel? Is it similar? I only entered Sensei's study a few times so my memory's not very good."

"It's fine." Gintoki replied. It might be similar, bookshelves all around them, books piled on the floor, mold on the walls, a potted plant here and there, cushioned seats. But without Shouyo it was just another stuffy room.

"It takes a while to get here and you clearly didn't get lost. So you had to resort to the help of your fellow humans, how was it?" there was a slight note of amusement in Katsura's voice.

"Are you trying to make a NEET joke?" Gintoki responded defensively "I'm sick and tired of my fellow humans to tell you the truth. They appear out of nowhere wherever I go, they're rude and loud and give me headaches. I bumped into that fucking gorilla on my way here!"

"Oh yes, we talked. He was here just before you."

"I know that!" Gintoki replied frustrated "He said he had some news. What was that all about?"

Katsura shrugged his shoulders and swiveled his chair towards the computer.

"Nothing major, I think it was something about the old boarding house being demolished. I thought the permits had gone through a few months ago, so it was a surprise for me. I didn't know it was still up. I heard they're gonna build an office building there or was it a parking lot? I can't remember, the last person I..."

Gintoki didn't hear the whole rant. His attention focused on the dorm being demolished and nothing else. The news seemed surreal. Something that was happening in another planet. His first thought was to go there at once. Their room. Breathe it in one more time, touch it one last time. Save whatever he could in his memory until the storage was full. His second thought was to not go there at all. He had to be a fucking masochist to go plunge back into it. Besides, their room wasn't theirs anymore. How many penniless creeps must have lived there by now? How many desperate students must have made those four walls their whole world? Fought with their roommate, laughed with them, made friends? It didn't reek of tobacco and sugar anymore. The stains of strawberry milk on the tatami mats had probably washed away. It was just another cheap room.

"-have you seen him or not?" Katsura's voice came back to him as if Gintoki had just emerged out of deep water.

"Who?" Gintoki could only guess who Katsura was talking about. He might as well get it over with "Yeah, I have so what?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"About the dorm? No. You actually think he'd tell me anything? He's a tomb that guy. He's probably rejoicing-"

"Gintoki stop being so childish. Of course he has reasons for rejoicing, he's the contractor after all."

"What?" Gintoki shifted his gaze from a pile of books on feudal weaponry to Katsura's face. He could use a sword to disassemble his brain right about now.

"It's called common sense." Katsura added while typing away.

"No, wait a second," Gintoki ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath "You're telling me _he_ is the contractor? He's the one who's gonna demolish the dorm?"

Katsura nodded without taking his eyes from the computer monitor.

"But he's a fucking policeman!" Gintoki exclaimed. Katsura turned to him with a befuddled expression.

"What? Takasugi is a policeman? He didn't tell me anything. Are you sure, Gintoki?"

"Takasugi?" the name sounded almost foreign to Gintoki "You were talking about Takasugi? He is the contractor?"

"Yes," Katsura replied nonchalantly "Who were you talking about?"

Gintoki let his elbows rest on the table and his head fall into his hands. A big groan followed which Katsura didn't know how to answer. He just sat in his chair, hands frozen above the keyboard.

"You didn't see Takasugi then." he began tentatively.

"No, I didn't." came Gintoki's muffled response. His head threatened to explode.

"Who's the policeman?"

It took a minute of silence for Gintoki to blurt it out. The fact Katsura knew nothing about Hijikata being back made the revelation twice as terrible. Nobody had told him, Gintoki would be the first. Katsura would measure every little muscle on his face, every different intonation of his voice and Gintoki wouldn't be able to fake his indifference because he had just shown how fucking indifferent he wasn't. Besides, he could already tell the cogs were moving behind Katsura's eyes, putting two and two together. Gintoki might as well have been naked.

"Hijikata."

Katsura was silent. He leaned back on his chair once again examining Gintoki. The history research study became a psychologist's office for a moment. Gintoki slapped the desk's surface to dispel it.

"Stop it Zura, I don't care what you have to say."

"Then why did you come here?"

"To give you the damn bag." Gintoki replied flatly.

"Oh right," Katsura grabbed the leather bag still laying on top of his table and put it away. "So have you seen him yet?"

"Yeah, I even helped him move if you can believe that." Gintoki shook his head slightly as he said it, barely believing his own words.

"It's good that you're still friends."

"We're not!" Gintoki replied quickly. He didn't know what they were.

"Does he still smoke?"

Gintoki shot daggers at Katsura, unsure whether he was making fun of the situation. His grave face said otherwise.

"Yeah he does."

"Then he's not married." Katsura concluded.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Gintoki had to resist rolling his eyes.

"You clearly don't understand women or the bond of marriage, Gintoki."

"Fuck off, Zura, since when did you become a counselor? I should have brought some booze with me."

"You can't bring alcoholic beverages inside the campus buildings." Katsura declared with furrowed brows.

"Thanks for reminding me why I bailed out of this dump."

"Language." Katsura chided. He had resumed his position by the computer, eyes moving left and right as he read an article on the etymology of ritual disembowelment.

Gintoki breathed out a sigh of relief, pressing against the back of the chair. The tension bubbling inside him had begun to dissipate and he stretched out his legs, careful not to knock down the piles of books growing around Katsura's desk like mushrooms. He looked up at the clock on the wall out of habit, wondering if Shinpachi had gone to pick up Kagura. Once upon a time he would have looked at it wondering if Shouyo was already on his way home.

"I guess I should be going. Delivery's done."

"Give Leader my regards. Tell her I'll stop by next week and take her to the park." Katsura offered.

Gintoki chuckled and nodded as he got up from his seat.

"I'll leave you to your wicked ways." he gestured towards the mess of books and papers on Katsura's desk.

"And I leave you to yours." Katsura replied, locking eyes with Gintoki.

Gintoki gave him a smirk, not wanting to give much away, not knowing what Katsura even wanted him to say. He turned for the door and closed it as Katsura spoke again.

"Are you going to see him?"

* * *

><p>9 YEARS AGO<p>

The whipping sound of clashing bamboo traveled across the dojo alongside the shouts of students. Saturdays never saw a big influx of them, especially when Hijikata came with Kondo early in the morning. By midday only half a dozen were left and if there were more they only stayed to witness Hijikata slaughtering the brave ones. He didn't pity them though, he was too busy dealing with the older boys who thought they were the shit. Not to mention he was working on keeping his own issues in order, focusing his mind and body in the swordsmanship. It helped him cope.

"So who's next?"

Kondo approached him with a kid in full uniform by his side. He had the same height as Hijikata and a straight back ready for combat. Hijikata craved so much another go he didn't notice the smirk on Kondo's face.

"I think we'll have a fair match here." he said in jest.

The other guy shrugged his shoulders and got in position. Hijikata adjusted his helmet and did the same. The match that followed unraveled like a dream. His opponent's execution was flawless, quick footwork and total awareness guided his precise strikes. Hijikata had to react almost by instinct to avoid his attacks. He still lost, cornered into stances with little flexibility to respond. He was so absorbed by his opponent's skill he kept going long after they exceeded the conventional three-points. The other boy continued to launch different techniques at him, daring him to rise up to the challenge. Hijikata bit his tongue and gripped his sword tighter, resenting the bastard's show. He pushed back with powerful attacks, forcing him to lose his balance and soon his opponent's strikes began to miss, his pace slowed down and he got sloppy. Kondo interposed.

"That's enough, that's enough. You are both very good, no need to make a competition out of a friendly match."

Hijikata grunted and proceeded to take off his helmet to look his rival in the eye. A glare beamed at him. His opponent had short blond hair, green eyes and a pale face with high cheekbones that added to his proud standoffish demeanor. Hijikata gave him his hand and the boy shook it firmly, with extra vigor, arousing a laugh of scorn out of him. Hijikata cracked the joints of his fingers after pulling back.

"Hijikata, this is Itou Kamotarou, I snagged him from another dojo. Very good, ain't he?" Kondo said proudly. Hijikata nodded with crossed arms.

"Nice to meet you. Thank you for your hard work." the polite phrases came out of Itou's mouth mechanically. He bowed, yet his intense gaze failed to match his calm voice. Misleading little snake.

"Thanks for the hard work." Hijikata replied a bit stiffly.

"He told me he was bored at his old dojo, so I invited him here. I said I'd teach him some complex moves and introduce him to my best students. What did you think of Hijikata, Itou-kun?"

"Average."

Hijikata clenched his teeth to prevent his mouth from falling open. The brass on the fucking kid sent a murderous gush through him. He joined Kondo's laugh with a fake one of his own, finding solace in the tight grip of his bamboo sword.

"I'm sure I'm ready to fight you, Kondo-san. Please give me the honor." Itou pressed on. Hijikata wanted to smack him in the face with his fist.

"Oh no, before you get to me I'd still want to put you up against the best around. He'd probably laugh at me if he heard me though."

"And who is that?" Itou asked, his gleaming eyes scanning every student in the room. Hijikata found himself mimicking him, unaware of this great student Kondo had hidden up his sleeve. He had dueled with every one present and he remembered no remarkable swordsmanship except Itou's.

"It's pointless to look for him. He doesn't train anymore. I think he has quit kendo altogether."

"He has quit?" Itou expressed Hijikata's disbelief. It seemed ridiculous to be so good at something and then cast it aside like it didn't matter, especially an activity that benefited mind, body and spirit.

"Besides he's very lazy. Hijikata knows it first hand, don't you?"

Kondo laughed and Itou turned his impenetrable gaze towards Hijikata, his questioning eyes boring holes into him.

Confusion shook Hijikata, he must have missed some part of the question.

"What do you mean, Kondo-san? Who are you talking about?"

"Yorozuya of course." Kondo replied matter-a-factually.

Hijikata fell silent. Hysterical laughter deafened his brain.

"You're joking me?"

"I'm not Toshi. Well, I guess you don't know about it because you weren't around, but Gintoki used to come here all the time. Even before I came to Tokyo. Sensei told me all about it, how Gintoki hated it at first and always got into fights with the other students. How no one wanted to spar with him and he always tried to sneak out of training to go play in the backyard. He was a rascal even then-"

"I knew my ears were burning for some reason. Stop talking about me behind my back." Gintoki's deadpan voice startled them. Hijikata's eyes flew to him instantly.

"Yo Gintoki..." Kondo coughed to hide his embarrassment "Sorry about that. Can I help you? You're not here for a match, are you?"

"Me? Fuck no, I just brought Shinpachi home and came to have a little fun watching the gorilla brigade go at it."

"Oi, watch it!" the reprimand left Hijikata's lips on its own. Gintoki smirked at him.

"Of course you had to be here, got out of bed with the damn birds this one."

Hijikata scoffed, stunned by a myriad different feelings. Even though he tried, he couldn't keep his eyes off Gintoki; the jovial silly one, the moron he had first met and not the stranger he had shared a room with the previous night. That old marred version of the same man still haunted him somehow. He was glad Gintoki had reverted back to himself, or at least to the Gintoki he knew. Hijikata had stopped to glance at him before leaving their room that morning. He had never paid him much attention, he was usually in a hurry to get to his classes or join Kondo at the dojo. Hence watching Gintoki sleep had been a disconcerting experience. Despite his nonchalant, easy going attitude, Gintoki was a very perceptive person, always aware of his surroundings. Seeing him vulnerable felt too intrusive, which was absurd for someone who shared the same room, the same house, almost the same habits as him. Hijikata had learned more about Gintoki than he'd care to admit. However, he had also only started to realize how little he actually knew about him. There seemed to be a million layers to peel back before he could get to the core. Not that he had ever been interested in reaching the core. Hijikata simply found it puzzling that he could sleep next to Gintoki one day and then next to another guy the following, so massive was the contrast.

"Why did you quit kendo?" Itou's question broke the comfortable silence like a bomb. Gintoki gave him a thorough look from top to bottom.

"No reason, really." he said, folding his arms behind his head.

Itou's jaw clenched at Gintoki's noncommitted answer. His reaction amused Hijikata.

"Are you an idiot?" Itou wondered aloud.

"It's none of your business! Who the hell is this dumbass?"

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah I meant you, bozo."

"You wanna have it right here?"

"Yeah, show me!"

Kondo had to separate the two arguing fools. He dragged Itou after him to the opposite end of the dojo and he put the whole class in motion doing basic exercises.

Gintoki trudged to the backyard muttering curses to himself and plopped down in the porch with a grunt. Hijikata followed him, unable to control his feet. He sat down next to him and leaned forward, fishing for things to say.

"What a bloodthirsty bastard!" Gintoki's rant persisted "Did you see that? He called me an idiot, who the hell does he think he is?"

"You are an idiot." Hijikata replied.

"So? He doesn't even know me, blond bastard! I bet he wears glasses! He has this dork look on his face like he's something else. That's how people who wear glasses look like when they take them off."

"You're being fucking ridiculous."

"Whatever. What about you? You're still not done with this?" Gintoki nudged his head towards the practicing students, then his gaze fell on Hijikata and stayed there, riveted below his neck. Hijikata looked down self-consciously and checked his uniform. The front of his kendogi was open, showing his sweaty chest. He straightened it out with a blush.

"No, I'm alright," he managed to reply awkwardly "That Itou gets on my fucking nerves though."

They both laughed.

"I didn't know you used to come here." Hijikata said. He glimpsed at Gintoki and noticed him fixed on a point far away. Memories cast shadows over his face. For a second that somber stranger returned and Hijikata regretted ever opening his mouth.

"Yeah, Sensei brought me," Gintoki said, it sounded like a confession. After a minute of silence he went on "He was sorta my dad."

Hijikata gave him an affirmative nod, internally celebrating this new knowledge that made so many pieces go together. Another layer peeled down.

"He died a few years ago and I just lost interest in it." Gintoki admitted. He threw his head back and sighed.

"Life goes on I guess." Hijikata declared.

"Aren't you a depressing fuck?"

"At least your dad wanted you." Hijikata uttered with inordinate venom. He caught himself too late. By the time Gintoki was staring at him Hijikata already stood up to leave.

"Hey wait," Gintoki got up and chased after him "Hijikata."

Hijikata froze. His heartbeat picked up at the mention of his name.

"Let's go out for lunch, I'm dying of hunger and no one wants to go back to that jerk, right?"

Hijikata remained still, absorbing the idea. Gintoki was two feet away from him, giddy and grim all in one. More complete. Unfazed by his own sudden lash of darkness.

"No, you always eat weird shit, you're gonna spoil it for me."

"Scumbag! I'm not the one with a mayonnaise problem."

"Shut up." Hijikata could not contain his grin.

Gintoki walked beside him, complaining and being generally rude, and Hijikata could not bear the surge of warmth spreading through his chest, heating his every cell, making his cheeks hurt from smiling. He couldn't stop it.

He didn't want to.

Tokyo had never been so bright.

He was happy.

(***)

* * *

><p>AN: I thought I would never get to the end of this chapter. Every time I went back to it more and more words came out. I'm exhausted. Anyhow, the slow burn keeps burning. I'm having way too much fun weaving in all these secondary characters. I didn't even plan to introduce Itou on this chapter, he just sorta happened. I hope I'll be able to finish the next one in time for Gintoki's birthday. It will have a big flashback to their summer together and more personal angst. As always, thank you so much for the support and feedback, I really love talking to you guys. I hope you're enjoying the story so far!<p> 


	9. A Summer In The South Part I

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama.

* * *

><p>How Fools Fall In Love<p>

Chapter 9: A Summer In The South Part I

* * *

><p>A can of strawberry soda, cheap and contemptible as it were, delivered Gintoki from his consuming thoughts following his conversation with Katsura. He stopped by one of the campus vending machines and bought a can for his journey back to his scooter. Truth be told, it wasn't enough to dispel his worries but the sickly sweet flavor comforted him and he spent most of his walk wondering whether it tasted more of cherry than strawberry. When he got to the parking lot a message on his phone informed him that Shinpachi would be busy with cram school and thus unable to get Kagura on time. Induced by pity, Gintoki sent him a silent prayer.<p>

He rode directly to Kagura's school, arriving in time with the ringing bell. Kagura came running as soon as she saw him. She hopped on the back of the scooter and waved goodbye to her friends. After the whole brawling debacle a couple of days before, the gesture filled Gintoki with relief. Otae had done a good job with the aftermath. Kagura's friends smiled and waved back at her sincerely, maybe one or two with a trembling lip, and no parents waited by the school gates to complain to him. He appreciated that.

"Gin-chan drop me by the dojo today. Anego said she'd do my hair and let me play with her makeup." Kagura told him. Gintoki tightened the strap on her helmet and nodded.

"Ok, but don't let her give you any food to bring home. The stray cats got sick because of that crap."

"Roger!"

Gintoki drove on unaware of the consequences of Shinpachi's message. The sweet drink had numbed his brain so he deemed the visit to the dojo harmless. He expected nothing of it, just another stop before going home and immersing himself in his Jump. However, once they got to the dojo, his evening of reminiscing rolled back to him like a giant sea wave, bringing with it details of his past he had successfully evaded all afternoon.

Kagura ran off, not bothering to take off her helmet or pick up the empty packet of sukonbu that fell out of her pocket. Gintoki didn't bother either, though his wasn't a desire for lipstick or eye shadow or blush. He rolled on the throttle and sped out of there hanging for dear life. The dreadful anxiety ate away at him, unbearable. He couldn't decide what was worse, talking about it or bottling it up. The more he talked the worse he felt, like he relived everything again, scarring the same scars, plunging deeper into his own private hell. But then the more he bottled up, the more suffocated he felt by the shallow life he lived, a burden. He hated it.

The coast was clear when he got home. Sadaharu woke up from his nap to welcome him but Gintoki shooed him away. If he relented and took him for a walk he knew where his feet would lead him. Sadaharu would be there to witness the disgrace. And how terrible would it be if Gintoki found another person there? What if Hijikata capitulated as well and both of them met there again? Considering Gintoki's state right now only disaster would come of it. No nostalgic yearning was worth that. He couldn't do it to himself either, to anyone. He couldn't do it to _her_ most of all. And the minute he thought of her she appeared before him.

"Gin-san, hello! Kagura-chan isn't back with you?" Mitsuba's crystal voice reached him from the small gate by the road, she was just coming in.

"She's with Otae." Gintoki replied.

"Very well," Mitsuba smiled and waited by front of the building while he locked his scooter "That's actually perfect because I was meaning to have a chat with you, if you don't mind. I'll make us some tea."

"Uh... I- erm..." Gintoki stammered, struggling to find the exact words to refuse her invitation. His brain was too busy conjecturing Mitsuba's intentions to think of a plausible excuse. Somehow he didn't smell Sougo's mischief, maybe Mitsuba just wanted to vent about the neighbors or talk about how Kagura had been avoiding her place like the plague. A stream of trivial matters crossed his mind, all of them as far away as possible from their mutual acquaintance.

"Sou-chan is still at school, we won't be disturbed." she beseeched him. Gintoki could not say no.

He followed her upstairs, inside her apartment. He sat down in her small living room after she declined his help in the kitchen. The room looked the same as always, clean, warm, inviting, with puffed up pillows arranged homely on the couch, magazines stored in neat piles under the center table, books shelved tightly to fit in all sizes and a doily under the flower vase and another above the TV. No signs of Sougo's devilish personality, no scattered comics or sweets. The siblings lived in harmony, devoted to their home. Gintoki's place was deplorable in comparison, regardless of Shinpachi's endeavors to make it look presentable any chance he got. Maybe he was the one pitying Gintoki.

"Since Kondo-san told him to be more active at school and take his club activities seriously, I rarely see Sou-chan before dinner these days. He also goes to the dojo a lot and sometimes he even sneaks to the game arcade, but I can't complain. I'm so happy to see him out there having fun," Mitsuba began, her sweet tone traveled across the apartment "I almost miss helping him with his homework. He insisted on staying the other day when I wasn't feeling well, I was about to send for you, Gin-san. He didn't even want to go to school. I was really mad at him! Then Kondo-san called and he knocked some sense into him. He's a reliable person, isn't he?" she knelt down in front of him to place the tea tray on the table.

"Once in a while." Gintoki replied. She laughed.

"I guess you know other parts of him I don't," she said whilst pouring the tea "I wish I saw more too."

Gintoki looked at her as she said that and a feeling of despondency seeped through. What did she want to see that he already had? If she only knew how he would give anything to trade places with her, to know less, to perceive just the simple things. He liked that about Mitsuba. It wasn't ignorance, she didn't have a dull mind, rather the opposite. She was sensitive, deliberate, when she looked at a person she saw the whole picture; their faults another part of them. She didn't trouble herself with discerning the good and the bad, she accepted the sum.

"I'm glad Kagura hasn't been around," she said suddenly, pulling away from the somber mood "I was afraid she'd catch something while I was sick."

"Are you feeling better?" Gintoki asked.

"Yes, I couldn't skip more work. I can't afford that," Mitsuba responded with a weak smile "As a matter of fact, the reason I wanted to talk to you is related to this."

Gintoki put down his cup and forced himself to look at her. She wasn't facing his way. Her eyes were fixed on the withered flowers in the center table, which Gintoki hadn't noticed before, and a slight shade of pink rose to her cheeks.

"Please tell me if I'm overstepping but I must know," the minute she said it Gintoki was certain of what would come next "Have you spoken with Hijikata-san? He and Kondo-san are very close, I would never distress Kondo-san with my concerns. I don't want him to feel torn between my expectations and his friend's. He is a reliable man and silly," she let a small giggle escape "But he is loyal to a fault. I couldn't trust him to act without some bias either to me, who he has helped and cared for so much, or to his best friend in the whole world. So I thought of you, Gin-san," Gintoki couldn't speak, he feared to imagine the question she was tiptoeing around, "I've known Hijikata-san for so long but I never knew about you. I apologize for never having mentioned him, but I had no idea. It was so surprising to discover you both knew each other. It made me very happy to know... to know he had another friend. I mean, if you were roommates you must have known each other pretty well, no?" she declared excitedly, her eyes shining. Gintoki fell short of an answer. "He acted very rudely that time but he is always concealing his real feelings, I'm sure you know that. Even if you're not on the best terms right now, after all these years it's only natural to have grown apart, don't you think? You're one of the few friends he has left, maybe one of the closest. I-"

"You're wrong." Gintoki had to stop her. He was bursting at the seams, bursting with guilt "We barely speak anymore. We didn't really keep in touch either. I'm not your man."

"Maybe if you mend your-"

"We were always this way, he's a stubborn dick and I'm a professional idiot, I don't see what's there to miss. We don't go together."

Mitsuba's giggling eased Gintoki's mood, yet he hadn't meant to sound funny. Whatever favor she wanted to ask of him was impossible to commit to. He didn't know how to convince her of this without losing his grip. Right now his whole brain shrieked with no's.

"That can't be true. You're so similar!" she replied "I'm sure you're capable of understanding each other. Think of how good it would be for everyone around you if you did."

"We're nothing alike." Gintoki said with a sigh, adjusting back in his seat. In his mind he berated himself for coming. He had dodged Katsura's meddling for nothing. His devils channeled by Okita Mitsuba were having a field day.

"I'm sorry I can't help you."

"You didn't deny it when I said you must have known each other pretty well," Mitsuba said lifting her head. Gintoki was silent and looked away, holding back a laughter of despair. "You even visited him back home, didn't you?" Although Mitsuba intended to soften Gintoki through tenderness and understanding, her words stabbed him like accusations and Gintoki hated himself for it.

"No, I just went there to work. Make some cash during summer. Kondo fixed me up."

"You didn't meet him?"

"No. I already saw him every day. I was sick of him."

Mitsuba slouched her shoulders with disappointment.

"That's too bad. We could have met earlier." she said with a sad smile.

"We could."

* * *

><p>8 YEARS AND 10 MONTHS AGO<p>

The train screeched to a halt by Hijikata's stop announcing his arrival. He would've cursed the bumpy ride but the weather was too hot and the disparity between the bullet train and the regional one too depressing. He stepped onto the platform with apprehension, the eagerness to return to his backwater roots wiped out of his mind. The heat had melted it. He stood awhile waiting for the train to pass and hit him with the recoiling wind before walking out towards the street.

Hijikata's hometown was a dot in the outskirts of Kyoto. Although he had been borne in a small city near Tokyo, this little town surrounded by farmland represented everything he'd ever known from his earliest memory. He'd grown up in his brother's household, the only brother who had conceded to take him in after the death of his mother. Like anyone who goes back to their place of childhood, Hijikata walked its streets with both joy and grief, absorbing the familiar atmosphere and gawking at its recent changes. Most of them had occurred downtown in the market district. Half a dozen stores had closed down and another half opened up. Apart from that, everything had stayed the same.

His brother's house consisted of an old traditional cut of Japanese architecture their father had inherited from his father before him. He had been a wealthy man who'd made his fortune expanding the family business, buying farmland and extending his influence over pharmaceutical companies and sponsoring research projects at universities. By the end of his life he had much to entrust to his eldest sons who followed their designated paths accordingly. Hijikata thought it all very nice and proper, yet he begrudged most of it on account of his father deserting him and his mother before he was even born. Nevertheless, the sense of duty ran deep in the family, like blood through a communal vein. And Hijikata learned to live among the plantations, he learned to love them and respect what they represented, under the guidance of his brother Tamegoro.

The first person that met Hijikata at the entrance was the housekeeper, an old lady who had changed his diapers and yelled at him when she discovered a pack of cigarettes hidden beneath his mattress when he was in high school. She wore the same traditional summer robes Hijikata had seen her wear in his infancy, though she kept them as clean and pristine as the day she first got them. She glanced at Hijikata briefly, giving him little notice. She might have just finished tidying up his room and cooked him breakfast.

"I'm home." he said stiffly, unable to shake the formality off his bones. He had been away too long.

"Welcome back. Master is in his study but the missus will receive you. She has just come back from her walk," she told him "Leave your bag here and follow me."

Hijikata dropped his backpack in the hall, took off his shoes and followed her to a back room where his sister-in-law spent her evenings reading and enjoying the view of the garden.

"The young master is here."

"Ah, Toshiro-kun, welcome home." Sato Nobu, now Hijikata Nobu, was his brother's stouthearted wife. She had long jet black hair and a set of deep eyes that denounced ancient ties between the two families. Hijikata had hazy memories of visiting the Sato part of the family in Tama when he was a boy.

"I'm glad to be back." he replied.

"Shiba-san, bring us something to drink if you please. Toshiro-kun must be dying of thirst."

"Yes, ma'am." the housekeeper complied and slid the door shut behind her.

Hijikata joined Nobu by the open window, sitting down on the tatami floor. Her belly had grown and her hands poised above it revealed how accustomed she was to her new condition, she positively glowed. Hijikata had received news of the pregnancy over the phone around Christmas. At the time the notion of becoming an uncle hadn't really registered amidst the stressing college papers, though he was glad for Nobu and his brother. Now looking at her, the idea started to sink in.

"We're thinking about calling him Hayato after your father." she said.

Hijikata paled but answered her with a smile.

"It's a boy then?"

"Yes." she answered radiant. The prospect of securing a male heir justified her elation. No more meek replies at family gatherings, no more awkward visits from her sisters. She seemed at peace, triumphant. Like she had finally made her mark on the family.

The housekeeper returned with a tray of iced tea and a glass of water. A second figure entered the room after her.

"Is Toshiro back?"

"He's right here, master." Shiba-san replied.

"Sit down, dear."

Hijikata stood up to greet his brother. They hadn't seen each other in over a year. Tamegoro pulled him into an clumsy hug, which Hijikata could not reject, and he sighed into his arms. He did miss him.

"I've been expecting you. It's been too long," Tamegoro said. He slid his hands down Hijikata's arms and then gestured him to sit back down "How goes the study of law?"

"Good."

"It's pointless to ask him, dear. Even if it was hard and tedious Toshiro-kun wouldn't worry you." Nobu said playfully. Her words hit tender nerves.

"That's true." Tamegoro laughed.

"You still insist on not pursing a legal career? You'd be the first lawyer in the family. We're all sick of entrepreneurs and doctors." Nobu continued, taking charge of the conversation as she was wont to do. With a baby in her belly, Tamegoro was even more prone to indulge her bold disposition. Hijikata felt a tinge of embarrassment by her purposefully omitting the farmers. It seemed that now that they were a respectable family it wouldn't do bring up the starting point, or the poorer relations. It pissed him off.

"No, I'm taking the police academy examination after graduating." he replied.

"Isn't that next year? My, how time flies. It still feels like you only left yesterday." Nobu sighed.

"How's the boarding house? You were complaining about it the last time I called." Tamegoro asked him, deftly changing subjects.

Hijikata fought hard not to roll his eyes as he remembered his brother's last call. He usually didn't complain a lot, he hated to burden his brother with his problems, Tamegoro had had his share of those, but at the time Hijikata's entanglement with the dorm's tenants, more precisely Gintoki, had been at its peak, anger bubbled beneath his skin daily, and he had vented a good deal on the phone.

"It's fine. I'm used to it now." he answered flatly.

"What about Isao-kun? I'll never forgive him for taking you away from us," Nobu jested "He actually called the other day to congratulate us about the baby. I always liked his family. They are a bit loud but they are good people nonetheless. His aunt sent me a gift..."

The evening carried on in this fashion, with Nobu and Tamegoro battling each other for Hijikata's attention and pressing him for stories about Tokyo. He failed to meet their expectations, especially Nobu's. He was a poor conversationalist and, looking back, his life in Tokyo didn't have much to talk about, no adventure whatsoever. It consisted of studying, going to classes, the occasional stop by the dojo, and the dorm. There had been no time to see the sights. His life was very simple. Gintoki's presence permeated everything. And being so far from it, he almost missed it.

* * *

><p>Gintoki checked his horoscope in the nearest newsstand. He noticed it was actually a decrepit 100-yen shop when he walked in to enjoy the air conditioning and free himself of the inferno outside. He had been expecting the unbearable heat, him being in the fucking south, but everything else he just couldn't handle. His whole body and spirit regretted the trip.<p>

When Kondo had offered him his old place to stay after Gintoki confessed he was in need of money, he had assumed Kondo's entire plan to work. Gintoki would stay at his old place free of charge, he'd spend the summer break working in the farms and racking up enough money to buy a scooter; it was a shabby thing in second hand Gengai had lying around, but Gintoki had low standards and a mighty need. The idea thrilled him and he packed up as soon as he decided on it. The irony didn't escape him though. Hijikata had left to visit his family and Gintoki finally had the whole room to himself only to leave it as well. He figured the money involved justified the crass compromise.

"_Things aren't going your way. Time to improvise. Beware of the people around you, some may bring you the help you need, others may be out to hurt you. Don't spend more than you have-_" Gintoki didn't read the rest. Horoscopes creeped him out anyway. He always felt like he was reading his diary. He put the magazine back on the stand and exited the shop.

"Oi, young man, you lost or somethin'?"

Gintoki turned around and bumped into an old man wearing a straw hat. He collided with him chest first and sent the hat flying, yet it ended up hanging by its strings around the old man's neck.

"Watch it there, big fella."

Gintoki apologized with a slight bow and wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Sorry old man, this heat is killing me."

"Ain't it so! It's hell out here this time of the year," the old man replied. His deep tan spoke for itself, the product of many days of laboring under the hot sun. His skin looked so raggedy in some places Gintoki believed he must have toiled under any kind of weather. "I don't recognize you from these parts, you want some help?"

"Do you know any cheap place I can stay? I was supposed to stay at a... friend's house, but it turned out to be occupied. They kicked me out." Gintoki told him, summing up the story as much as he could. He'd rather spare himself the rage going into details would unleash.

"Sure I do! My cousin runs the old pension by the temple road. He is well off lemme tell ya, he sold all his shares and bought that ryokan-"

"Nah, it's all right, old man. Isn't there a manga cafe around here? I can stay there for tonight."

"What's that? You young people always like to make things difficult for yourselves, don't ya? Go to my cousin's pension I tell ya. It's seriously cheap and you get a discount on the pachinko parlor nearby. The owner is family too, you see. That's how they get rich, smart bastards."

"I have to admit that kinda sweetens the deal," Gintoki said intrigued, he scratched his chin in deep thought "You think you can put in a good word for me at the pension? I came here to make money, not spend it."

"Well, I don't really know you, son."

"Gori- I mean, my friend Kondo told me I could stay at his house while I looked around for work but-"

"Ooooh! You mean Isao? Kondo's kid? Why didn't you tell me sooner!" the old man exclaimed ecstatic, slapping Gintoki's arm a bit too hard. Gintoki staggered but didn't lose his smile.

"Yeah, the same." he nodded.

"'Course I'll put a word in for Isao's friend! You looking for work too?" the old man asked him. He was all fired up now and Gintoki joined the high.

"Yeah, that's why I came."

"Come over here," the old man beckoned Gintoki to follow him and they cut a corner that led them to a narrow street by the residential area "See that house over there?"

Gintoki followed the direction of the old man's finger and spotted a house on the far right overlooking the rice fields.

"Meet me there tomorrow at five and we'll get to work."

"In the morning?" Gintoki's throat went dry. He knew the answer to the question, but the notion was too horrible to conceive.

"You take farm work as a joke and you won't last two seconds, son."

"Yeah, yeah, you've hammered the message home. Thanks, old man."

"I'm counting on ya tomorrow. What's your name?"

"Sakata Gintoki."

"I'm Shiba Michisuke. Everyone calls me Michi."

Gintoki shook hands with him and waved him goodbye. He rummaged his pockets for change and after a careful examination of all his coins decided to check in at the pension before hitting the pachinko parlor. He might as well enjoy his last day of fun.

* * *

><p>Michi was waiting for Gintoki the next day by the house gates. He gave Gintoki a pair of working boots and a lunchbox his wife had prepared for them. "I'll let you meet her later." he told Gintoki with a wink. They toiled the whole morning nonstop. Michi showed him the rice fields and introduced him to other farmers who were already up and about since four. They checked the water levels in the fields, replenishing it as necessary, did maintenance on the irrigation systems and fertilized a few acres. Gintoki couldn't feel his legs by the time they stopped for lunch.<p>

"How are ya, son? Still alive?" Michi teased him. Gintoki had his mouth full so he just nodded his head. "The food tastes better after hard work, doesn't it?"

Gintoki agreed wholeheartedly.

"And better still because my wife cooked it! She works as the housekeeper there," Michi added, alluding to the house on the hill where they'd met earlier that morning "For more than twenty years now. The master is blind, you see. We don't pity the less fortunate, but my wife got really attached to the family."

"You live there?" Gintoki asked.

"The missus is going to have a baby so my wife thought it would be better to move there for a while. We live by the river but she wanted to stay at the house to help. If you ask me, we spared them the trouble of asking us! Hahaha!"

Michi's wife was quiet and grave, the complete opposite of Michi. He and Gintoki sat down at the kitchen table after work while she made them snacks. Michi told her all about Gintoki as she worked diligently by the counter and encouraged him with short replies to prove she was listening. Finally, she spoke to Gintoki.

"So you must know the young master as well?"

Gintoki looked at her puzzled. He opened his mouth to reply but the inside door opened before he could and someone came in from the house.

"Shiba-san, Nobu is asking for you. Ah, Michi you're here too. How have you b-"

Gintoki and Hijikata locked stares in absolute shock.

"Oh, young master! Sorry for intruding, we just came in for a bit of tea and will be right off." Michi apologized, though the silence did not disappear. It only got more discomforting.

Gintoki wanted to stand up but his legs, battered from the day's work, didn't budge. Neither did his eyes, fixed on Hijikata and not letting go. He was wearing a gray t-shirt and black sweat pants, and his hair had that disheveled look he sported on weekends when he stayed all day shut in their room studying.

"What... what the hell are you doing here?" Hijikata asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Nah, it's alright young master, he's with me-"

"Your wife is right, Michi. I do know the young master." Gintoki cut in, a smirk taking over his face. Michi stared at him surprised.

"You do?"

"Isn't it funny? He comes home to get away from me and then here I am?"

Hijikata blushed a hundred shades of red, gritted his teeth and averted his eyes. Gintoki's smirk had evolved to an absolute grin. He couldn't help but find the whole situation hilarious.

"Shut the hell up."

"Young master, language please!" Shiba-san chided.

"You weren't kidding, Ginnoji." Michi exclaimed surprised.

"No, I wasn't. I know him really well. In fact we-"

"Come here for a second!" Hijikata interrupted him with a vaporizing stare, urging Gintoki to follow him.

"Can't I finish my snack?"

"No!"

Gintoki followed him outside, leaving the Shibas to exchange curious looks between them.

"Man, I can't feel my legs." Gintoki whined. The ground slipped from under his feet as Hijikata pulled him by the collar.

"Are fucking stalking me?!" Hijikata snarled "What the hell are you doing here? Isn't it enough that we have to see each other every day in the dorm, now you- ugh, you stink!" he released his grip on Gintoki and stepped back once the stench of sweat and fertilizer reached him.

"It's the smell of hard work, pretty boy," Gintoki replied, straightening his clothes "You could cut me a little slack."

"No, _you_ cut me a little slack! Why did you have to come here?"

"Kondo told me there was a lot of work to do around here in the summer. Besides, there's this scooter I want to buy, so I took his offer to stay at his old place. He almost forced me to accept it to be honest. But guess what, these ridiculous cousins of his were there when I arrived and they told me there was no space left. Nice fucking friend you got there!"

"You're the one who took advantage of his friendship, dumbass!"

"What advantage!? I'm the one who has to spend money to stay at the fucking pension!"

Hijikata sighed exasperatedly and Gintoki rolled his eyes. His chest heaved from their argument and sweat trickled down his back. He needed a shower.

"It's too hot to argue with you. I need a smoke."

"That logic made no sense whatsoever," Gintoki observed "Can I go now, master of the house?"

"Just stay away and let me enjoy my summer break." Hijikata groaned, pointing a finger at him.

"Right back at ya."

* * *

><p>Hijikata walked back in, excused himself to the Shibas and sought refuge in his room. Thoughts and feelings spun in disarray, weighting on him and his feet. Tamegoro must have noticed his unusual heavy step because he called after him as he walked past his study.<p>

"Toshi?"

Hijikata halted with a sigh and turned back. He slid open the door to the study and slipped half his body inside, polite speech forgotten.

"Yeah?"

"Is everything alright?" came his brother's worried voice. He sat at his desk in silence with his fingertips hovering above the braille cells he'd been reading.

"Yeah, it was just a cockroach in the kitchen." Hijikata replied hastily.

"Oh, I see. Can you do me a favor?"

Hijikata strained to keep his breathing normal. He feared his brother's sharp hearing would catch his abnormal heart rate soon.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Dreadful post office business. I need to send a couple of manuscripts to my editor and I'm crowded with work. Do you mind?"

Hijikata was in the worst possible mood to do anything. He considered the benefits a stroll outside might give him but those crumbled as soon as he remembered the silver haired cockroach lurking about. The town was infested, yet he couldn't refuse his brother's request.

"I'll go. Hijikata replied.

"Great, I have them right here." Tamegoro moved to stand but Hijikata stopped him.

"No, I'll get them." he picked up the parcels by the desk and held them in his arms.

"Thank you."

A weird silence followed which Hijikata ached to get away from. He was acutely aware that his brother had sensed his lie, knew something was wrong with him and expected some sort of explanation. But no matter how inviting Tamegoro's silence was, Hijikata didn't submit to it. He left without saying a word and went to his room to change.

He found a bag to carry the parcels and headed out. Nobu waited for him by the front door with a sly smile on her lips, eyes gleaming with mischievous intent. Hijikata sent her a cold stare, his patience wearing thin.

"Going out on an errand?" she asked innocently. Hijikata furrowed his brows, astounded at the shit hand he'd been dealt that day. Nobu giggled at his reaction and he cursed inwardly fearing she'd heard his argument with Gintoki and was about to comment on it. She did.

"Why don't you bring your friend over for dinner?"

Hijikata stormed out of the house, leaving a smiling Nobu behind.

* * *

><p>AN: I'm gonna upload part II later this month. The summer flashback is so huge that I had to split it in two chapters, this being the introductory one. Sorachi didn't elaborate much on Hijikata's family apart from Tamegoro so I adapted a few bits from the real Hijikata Toshizo's background to keep this afloat. As always, thanks for the support!<p> 


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